


When I Was Your Man

by GemNika



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Getting Back Together, Mating Bites, Mating Rituals, Pregnancy, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-09 06:41:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16444766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemNika/pseuds/GemNika
Summary: Two months ago, she left him. Now, Gajeel has to try and make it right. Will he let her go or will they find it in themselves to forgive?





	1. Chapter 1

It had been two months. Two months of torture and anguish that he hid behind a blank mask of indifference. Not even Lily saw the pain he felt, although he knew that the Exceed had figured it out. Two months ago, Gajeel Redfox lost the only thing that had mattered to him, and it was all his fault. He lost Lucy. They had fought again over his own selfish bullshit, and she walked out. He figured it was going to be like every other time she had walked out on him. He thought she was going to come home after a few hours and then they would have mind-blowing makeup sex. She didn't. She stayed with Erza that night, then became the Stripper's roommate until she could find her own place. He couldn't stand the sight of all the things she left behind, so Lily stayed at the house and Gajeel slept in the woods. He didn't know if she ever came to get her stuff, but he couldn't bear the thought of their home being without it.

He knew exactly what he did wrong. He knew it as soon as she walked out the front door, but he was too stubborn to run after her and apologize. He was too stubborn to tell her  _why_  the argument started in the first place. She couldn't stand watching everyone else find their happiness, becoming mated, while he never made that final move. He had told her all about how the ritual worked, that it was different for each Slayer, but they knew what had to be done. He had laid it all out for her, hoping it would end the conversation about her being his mate. But, even after all of that… Even after he told her that she would have to fight him in a no-hold's-barred battle and survive. That after she had survived, regardless of how injured she was, his instincts would force him to claim her. That he wouldn't be gentle when he marked her and finally mated with her. She still wanted to be his. He couldn't lie to himself, he wanted her as his mate. He felt it with every fiber of his being.

There was only one problem: he had promised that he would never spill her blood again. Gajeel never wanted to inflict pain on  _any_  member of his guild, but especially not on Lucy. When he had brutalized her in the name of Phantom Lord, he had enjoyed it. Now he knew better. His mind was warped and twisted from the grief of being left alone by Metallicana, and he was taken advantage of. He didn't view himself as anything more than a tool for destruction.

Lucy had changed that. Every hit, every drop of her blood that was spilled, never caused her conviction to waver. She was a fighter with the purest of hearts, and he had tried to break her. In retrospect, Gajeel was glad that he'd failed. His admittance to Fairy Tail didn't go over too well, and he accepted any and all beatings his guildmates wanted to give him as retribution for his actions. Lucy had forgiven him almost instantly. He could tell that nightmares of him had plagued her, and she even confirmed it when they started dating, but she had still overlooked it all and trusted him as her guildmate.

 _She wants to be my mate. I want her as my mate._  Gajeel growled as he sat in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.  _How could I have been so stupid?_  She had offered to spend the rest of her life with him, but he was too scared. He never admitted it to her, never told her the real reason that he had refused to make her his forever. He had told her countless times that he loved her, but he couldn't take that last step.

Towards the end, which he didn't realize was the end until she didn't come home, they had drifted apart. She would spend more time with the girls in the guild, knowing he hated it when she was alone with other guys—even if they were like her family—and slowly things fell apart. Gajeel clenched his fist as he recalled all of the signs that he had missed.

She would ask if he wanted to go out. He would shrug. She would sigh and lock herself in the bedroom with a book.

She would ask if they could go dancing. He said he couldn't dance.

He used to get her little gifts all the time. Pointless and sometimes useless little trinkets, but she always lit up when she got them as if they were made of pure gold. At some point, he stopped. Even when they fought, he just assumed sex would clear it up.  _I'm an idiot._

He had made so many mistakes during their time together. She had forgiven him in the beginning. She showed him what he should do. She taught him what it was like to have a  _human_  relationship. He couldn't rely only on his dragon instincts to keep her happy, because she wasn't a dragon or a Slayer. He thought he knew everything, and it bit him in the ass. As time went, she stopped trying to teach him what he was doing wrong. He already knew, but he did it anyway.

Gajeel looked across the hall to see Lucy sitting and smiling with her team. He hated that he was alone again. His heart ached with a longing he thought was well behind him when he saw her smiling face.  _She looks so happy…_  He realized that as their time together came to a close, she almost never smiled. He loved her smile. He loved everything about her.

She laughed. Her wonderful, bubbly, and infectious laughter filled his ears.  _I miss her so much._  But, there wasn't anything he could do. Gajeel had figured that she had moved on, found someone else. She had to have found someone that makes her happy. Lucy was amazing, there was just no way for her to be alone. He saw her lean lovingly against Gray's shoulder, and his blood began to boil. Gray pressed a soft kiss to her hair and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  _I knew it,_  he thought sadly. A soft whimper left him at the sight of her in another man's embrace. He wanted to run over to there and rip her away from Gray, maybe taking the guy's arm in the process, but he stopped himself. It was his own fault that she left. Not Gray's. Gajeel had caused her enough heartache, and he wouldn't be the one to hurt her anymore. Never again.

 _I know what I have to do…_  he thought as he stood up and made his way to the bar. After a short whispered conversation with Mira, the only person who hadn't hated him after he and Lucy split up, she nodded and got everything ready. She held pity in her eyes as she walked away from him, but he didn't dwell on it. Gajeel thought back over the past two months that he had been forced to spend without Lucy. He had taken countless missions, killed hundreds of monsters, to take his mind off of how horrible he felt. He would come back to the guild in the early in the morning— before anyone else got there— as a bloody mess, sometimes being carried by Lily, and would let Mira know his mission was successful. Then, he would wait until he was healed enough and take another. And another. He hardly spent any time where Lucy could be. He couldn't watch her move on.

"Alright everyone! We've got a request to start on some karaoke!" Mira shouted happily, grinning as the guild cheered loudly. Usually, karaoke was the beginning of a long night of drinking for the mages, so they always loved when it was announced. "First up, Gajeel Redfox!"

Gajeel smirked as he walked on the stage and took the microphone from the white-haired woman. He heard groans of disappointment as he was illuminated by the spotlight, and most of the guild had gone silent. Instead of the white suit he wore when he "performed," he was in his normal clothes. There was no guitar with him. This song was only for Lucy. To tell her, in the only way that she would listen to him, that he was sorry. That he hoped she was happy. That he would leave her alone for good.

He stared at the ground for a moment, collecting himself, then nodded to Mira to start the music he had given her. When the chords on the piano started ringing through the hall, he heard soft gasps of recognition. "Lucy," he said into the microphone as he raised his red eyes to meet her teary brown ones, "I'm sorry. This song is for you…"

 _Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now_  
Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same  
When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down  
'Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name

He started to sing the song. Really sing. Instead of the normally grating noise that came from the Iron Dragon Slayer, his voice was a beautiful and breathy baritone. Gajeel had never let anyone, not even Lucy, hear him like this. He thought it was a weakness of his. He only performed the way the guild saw him because he knew it got on their nerves, and he thought it was funny. This time, however, was different. He was going to put everything out there for her. It was the only way to apologize for all of the pain he had caused.

_It all just sounds like oooooh…_   
_Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize_   
_That I should've bought you flowers_   
_And held your hand_   
_Should've gave you all my hours_   
_When I had the chance_   
_Take you to every party_   
_'Cause all you wanted to do was dance_   
_Now my baby's dancing_   
_But she's dancing with another man_

"What the… Metal Brains can  _actually_ sing?" Natsu whispered in disbelief. He looked over at Lucy, his best friend and partner. Her heart rate had picked up when Gajeel's name was called, her breath caught in her throat when he walked on stage. She started to tear up when he apologized, the smell of salt in the air filtering into Natsu's overly sensitive nose. When he started to sing… Natsu watched her hands fly to her mouth to stop the sobs that came out.

 _He's apologizing for everything,_  Lucy thought sadly. She had been miserable for two months without him, but couldn't find a reason to go back. He never even said he was sorry for what happened.

 _My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways_  
Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life  
Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, ohh…  
And it haunts me every time I close my eyes.

It was true. Gajeel knew he was an idiot for thinking that he could keep Lucy in his life as nothing more than a girlfriend. He was too proud to admit that he was scared of hurting her. He had been selfish, only concerned with how he felt about it and not about how much it hurt her when he refused to make her his mate. Gajeel knew that he had lost the only spark of light in his life, and it was his fault that she was gone.

_It all just sounds like oooooh…_   
_Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize_   
_That I should've bought you flowers_   
_And held your hand_   
_Should've gave you all my hours_   
_When I had the chance_   
_Take you to every party_   
_'Cause all you wanted to do was dance_   
_Now my baby's dancing_   
_But she's dancing with another man_

Gajeel's voice was almost haunting with the emotions he was letting everyone see. Mira had never known that he held so much inside of him. She, along with the rest of the guild, had a basic understanding of what had happened between him and Lucy—she wanted to be more than a girlfriend, and he wouldn't take the next step—but those two months of them being separated didn't seemed to have any effect on the pierced Slayer. He had been grumpy before, and he stayed grumpy, no more and no less. He got into fights, talked with Lily and Mira, ate his metal, and glared at people just like he always did. Mira's eyes shot to Lucy, and her heart broke as she watched tears pour down the blonde's face. She knew how much it had hurt Lucy to stay away from Gajeel, but the Celestial mage thought it was for the best. When Mira looked back up at the stage, her own tears finally managed to spill over and down her cheeks. As Gajeel's voice rose and fell with the roiling emotions inside of him, his eyes never left Lucy. Mira had expected the intense red gaze of the man to stay on the blonde, but she never expected this.

_Although it hurts_   
_I'll be the first to say that I was wrong_   
_Oh, I know I'm probably much too late_   
_To try and apologize for my mistakes_   
_But I just want you to know_

Gajeel imagined that it was only him and Lucy in a room. That she was the only one seeing him like this. He let everything he had been feeling for the past two months out as he told her how he felt. All of his anger with himself, his loneliness, his love for her, the never-ending sadness he felt when he saw her across the room instead of next to him. He felt hopeless when he woke up alone every morning. He was a shell of what he once was when she had been with him. His only saving grace was that Lucy and Lily were the only ones that saw how he was when he wasn't around people. He had let them in, and no one else. So, as far as the guild was concerned, he had been doing fine for the past two months. Nothing had fazed him. They couldn't have been more wrong. As the next and final lines of the song fell from his lips, he could feel small rivulets of sadness falling from his eyes. He sang gently, showing her that he had no ill feelings toward how she chose to spend her life. He knew he messed up, but she didn't have to dwell on it.

_I hope he buys you flowers_   
_I hope he holds your hand_   
_Give you all his hours_   
_When he has the chance_   
_Take you to every party_   
_'Cause I remember how much you loved to dance_   
_Do all the things I should have done_   
_When I was your man_   
_Do all the things I should have done_   
_When I was your man._

As soon as the last syllable passed his lips, Gajeel couldn't take it any longer. He dropped the microphone and walked off the stage, heading straight for the exit. He had to get out of there. The whispers and murmurs of his guildmates were like screams in his ears, filling his head as if they were an angry hive of bees. He couldn't look at her any more. Couldn't bear to see her crying because of him. He shouldered past Laxus and Bickslow when they tried to stop him, knocking one or both off balance. He felt like he couldn't breathe, and the atmosphere inside had made him feel like he was being suffocated. He barely registered Lily flying up and talking to him, trying to tell him something, but he only closed his eyes with a grimace and kept moving towards the exit.

Natsu watched in shock as Gajeel stormed past everyone and left, slamming the doors open and stalking off into the night. He hadn't even tried to talk to Lucy afterwards. The man barely saw his own Exceed trying to tell him to stop and talk to her. Guilt, sadness, and something Natsu couldn't place wafted off of Gajeel as he pushed past everyone. Natsu looked over at his best friend. She was clearly devastated, her whole body shaking with her sobs. "Luce," he whispered as he put his warm hand on her shoulder.

Lucy looked up at her friend, not knowing what to do.

He saw the confusion in her eyes. She was frozen in place. "Go talk to him… I hate that he hurt you, but you guys are meant for each other," he said softly. "Two months is too long to be apart."

His feet pounded down the stairs as he left the guild. Even with the cool night air of autumn dancing across his skin and through his hair, he still felt like he was being suffocated. His heart constricted as he realized he had let her go. He didn't fight like he was taught to do. There was no enemy for him to defeat. Gajeel dropped to his knees in the courtyard, staring off into the distance. As far as she was concerned, he was nothing to her. The only woman he had ever loved had ripped his heart out and torn it to shreds, and he had no one to blame but himself. Gajeel looked up at the stars, and let out a strangled cry. No matter where he went, she would always be with him. Her friends, her spirits, and the source of her magic would stare back at him every night from their seats in those twinkling constellations. She would forget about him, move on, and have a family. He would only ever love her. He took in a deep breath, and roared into the sky. There was no magic behind it, no shards of metal flying into the air. The only thing that he let out in that roar was the desperation he felt at losing her.

The guild shook with the force of his roar. Lucy jumped in her seat, her eyes instantly going to the guild's doors, when she heard it. Gajeel sounded like he was dying. It was like there was nothing left for him to live for, and he was letting the world know he would be gone soon. One final shout into the heavens before he vanished. Looking back at Natsu, his words to her had finally sunk in.  _I have to talk to him… He needs me…_  She shot from her seat and ran as quickly as she could. For once, her friends didn't try to stop her and talk, they parted with shocked expressions as she streaked past them.

"Go get him, Luce," Natsu whispered with a smile as she ripped the doors open and rushed outside.

She saw him. Gajeel hadn't made it far before he collapsed. The strong and fearless man that she loved was on his hands and knees, his hair cascading down to hide his face as he openly sobbed in the courtyard. At that moment, she didn't care what had happened in the past. They could worry about it later. She had never seen him so broken before, and had only witnessed a small glimpse of sadness when he had talked about Metallicana leaving him. "Gajeel…" she whispered as she rushed over to him. Lucy slid on her knees in front of him, ignoring the pain of the concrete tearing her legs open, and wrapped her arms tightly around his quivering shoulders.

 _She's gone,_  he thought, _I'll be alone._  The pain he had felt when Metallicana, his foster father, had left was nothing in comparison to how he felt in that moment. That first loss was a pinprick, while this was like he was being eaten from the inside out by acid. Gajeel felt something wrap around him, and instantly growled, pushing whatever it was away. He lifted his head and bared his teeth to make sure they got the picture to leave him alone.

She should have been scared. Gajeel's eyes held no recognition of her, only the wild dragon instincts he had gained along with his magic. Those red eyes that had looked at her so lovingly before, now glared at her like she was a stranger that was encroaching on his hoard. Even through her tears, Lucy smiled. She launched herself at him, nuzzling his neck and wrapping her arms tightly around him again. She took in the comforting scent that only he possessed: metal and cinnamon. She had missed it and didn't even realize how much until that moment. Another growl ripped up his throat, but he made no move to get rid of her.

Gajeel couldn't see anything but the memory of Lucy's smiling face. He didn't know who was in front of him. He had no clue who had dared to interrupt his mourning, regardless of where it was happening. He wanted to tear them to shreds when he felt the small body press itself against him, the unfamiliar nose pressing against his neck. He growled as he got ready to rip this person off of him, but his body wouldn't move. There was something familiar about this person, but he didn't know what.  _Strawberries,_  he thought as their scent filled his nose _, Lucy used to smell like strawberries…_

Lucy kept herself pressed against him as tightly as possible, fearing that any space between them would cause him to go on a killing spree. His growls stopped, though he was still heaving breaths through his gritted and bared teeth. Lucy allowed her body to run on instinct instead of worrying what might happen to her. Her lips pressed softly to the pounding vein of his neck, then she lightly ran them up to his jaw, across his cheek. When they finally met with the corner of his mouth, she whispered his name.

Gajeel heard her voice calling to him. There was still something wrapped around his shoulders, something pressed to his chest. He felt an odd, warm tingling sensation move up his neck to his mouth. His eyes closed and smelled the air again. He was surrounded by strawberries. Not the artificial ones from body wash, but real strawberries. "Lucy," he whispered as he let out a shaky breath.

"I'm here, Gajeel." Her voice was barely a breath against his skin. His lips were only slightly parted, though his brows were screwed up in concentration. She shivered as he took deep breaths, almost like he was trying to find a specific scent. Her hand moved from his neck to drag her nails lightly across his scalp, and he actually responded with a slight shudder.

 _She's not here, I know she's not._  His mind was trying to trick him to get rid of the pain he felt. She had left him behind. Just like everyone else had. He could smell her, but he knew it was a figment of his imagination. He even imagined her hands in his hair just the way he liked. He let out a small whimper, wishing things had turned out differently.  _I should have done so much more for her…_

Lucy's heart told her it was time to make him snap out of it. He was losing a battle with himself, and she couldn't stand by and let him get away from her. She should never have left in the first place. He didn't have to tell her that one of his biggest fears was being left alone again. It was part of the reason he was so overprotective of her, aside from his dragon instincts. He didn't want to lose her. The more she had thought about it the last week or so, the more she had realized the reason he hadn't wanted to make her his mate. He never wanted to hurt her. She saw the guilt he still carried to that day from his time before Fairy Tail, his time in Phantom Lord when he had kidnapped and tortured her. She had forgiven him, but he had never forgiven himself. Even when they were dating, he kept their intimacy safe, and she felt like he was holding something back.  _He was afraid that he would hurt me again._  There was only one way to bring him back to her, so they could fix the mess they had made.

Gajeel felt something warm and soft crash onto his lips. Anger filled him, making him boil from the inside out. How dare someone do what was only meant for her?! He tried to pull his head away, but the hands that he had imagined gripped his hair forcefully and pushed his lips onto whoever was kissing him. He growled and his eyes shot open, but his growls died in his throat when he saw her. Her blonde hair was billowing in the wind that surrounded them, her chocolate eyes closed with her soft lashes laying gracefully against her cheeks. His hands itched to touch her, to know that this was real. He smelled strawberries, Lucy's wonderful scent, and recognized the feel of her sweet lips against his. His own lips hadn't made a single move once he opened his eyes, and he refused to believe she was really here.

She kept her eyes closed as her lips moved against his. When he growled, she started to worry that her idea was a bad one. Then, his growls stopped and he tensed up as if he had seen a ghost. Lucy tightened her grip in his hair, and pulled his head back smirking when he gasped in pain. She took the opportunity to sweep her tongue inside his open mouth, moaning when she tasted the metal piercing that ran through his tongue.

Her moan broke his mind free from any doubts it may have had. He tasted her on his tongue, the single timid sweep of her in his mouth causing him to growl in satisfaction. His hands shot to her waist, and he pulled her closer while they battled for dominance.  _It's her… It's really her…_  He didn't know why she was here. Why she was kissing him. But Gajeel couldn't find it in him to care. He had missed her touch, the way she molded perfectly to him, the noises she made.

Finally, even though she didn't want to, Lucy pulled away from the kiss and looked into his eyes. Brown stared into red as they caught their breath. She was sure they had the same surprised expression on their faces when he brought a hand to her face, running a thumb over her swollen lips. He studied her, then looked at her as if he was unsure before he slowly lowered his lips to hers. She could tell he was asking permission, willing to stop if she said so, when he paused just a breath away from making contact. Lucy smiled softly and closed the distance between them, letting his lips massage hers while he brought his other hand up to cup her face. In all of their time together, even with the realization that Gajeel had never wanted to hurt her again, he had never been so gentle with her. That one kiss told her more than the year and a half they had dated.

He finally pulled away and placed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. Gajeel took in a shaking breath and said, "I'm sorry, Lucy."

"I'm not your Bunny Girl anymore?" she asked softly, with a small smile on her face. No matter how much she had complained at first, she loved the nickname he had given her so long ago.

Gajeel kept his eyes closed and didn't hear the smile in her voice. He shook his head and said, "No, I lost the right to call you that when I lost you."

The smile left her instantaneously. "You never lost me. I was here the whole time," she whispered in earnest. She had waited for him to apologize. Everyone knew how forgiving she was, and she was willing to forgive him this time too. But, he had to know what he did and actually mean it when he apologized for her to come home. It was why she hadn't looked for a place of her own, and hadn't tried to pick up her things. Lucy had told Lily what she wanted Gajeel to do, but she also told him that the Dragon Slayer had to do it on his own without any help from anyone else.

He shook his head again, tears threatening to fall as he heard her words. His voice was thick with emotion when he said, "No, you left. And now I'll never get you back… Besides, you look happy with Strip— with Gray."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock.  _He thought I was with Gray?!_  She never had and never would see Gray as anything more than a teammate—a flirtatious, stripping, and  _brotherly_  teammate. "I was only staying at his place until you apologized. You're the only one for me, Gajeel," she said urgently. She had to make him understand that the sadness she had caused in him wasn't going to continue. "You said mates are forever, right?"

Gajeel's brows furrowed and he nodded slowly as he pulled away to look at her.

"I wouldn't tell you that I want to be your mate, and stay with you even beyond death, if I was going to leave you and jump in the sack with someone else. And in some crazy parallel universe where that  _did_ happen, it would  _not_  be with Gray." Lucy shuddered at the thought of sleeping with Gray, and grimaced. "No thanks. You're all I need."

"But… In the guild…" Gajeel was confused. He had seen her lean into Gray's embrace, watched the man kiss her like they were in love.

Her mouth dropped open in understanding, then she blushed. "Gray said he wanted to make you jealous so you would get your head out of your ass and take me away. I was nudging his shoulder because that's all the physical contact that Juvia will tolerate, even though he's told her that I'm like a sister."

"And the kiss?"

"Kiss?! What kiss?!" she shouted.

"He kissed your hair," Gajeel said, narrowing his eyes.

Lucy sighed, dropping her head. "Guess he decided he was going to go through with it even though I told him not to."

He lifted her head back up and looked like he was trying to decide something. "I really am sorry, you know. I was an asshole, and I should have been honest with you."

She moved her hands from his hair to just behind his ears, and lightly scratched. Lucy watched his eyes flutter closed and giggled when a soft, rumbling, purr-like growl vibrated through him. Gajeel glared at her, but there was no malice in it. She brushed her nose against his, running it along the piercings on each side before she said, "If you had told me that you didn't want to mate because you didn't want to hurt me, I would have understood. And then I would have kicked your ass all over the house for thinking that I would hold something like that against you."

The rumbling in his chest stopped and he stared at her in disbelief. "How did you—"

"I figured it out recently. You always held back with me, even in bed. When we got together, you promised you would never hurt me, but I didn't realize until this past week that it was holding you back from mating with me…" she whispered. "I told you before, and I'll tell you again until you get it through that metallic skull of yours. I don't care what I have to endure, as long as it means I get to be yours, and yours alone. Forever."

"You don't know what you're asking me to do, Lucy." He couldn't get past the shock that she had figured out what had kept him from doing it.

"I do. You told me what we would have to do. That it wouldn't be easy, I would probably get hurt, and you wouldn't be gentle with me afterwards."

"Right. You don't deserve that…" Images of her battered and bloody body from so many years ago filtered through his mind. "I can't do that to you again."

Lucy smiled and traced the piercings that littered his face. "Who says you'll win?" She smirked at him, wondering if challenging his fighting abilities would work.

He sighed, calmed by her fingers lightly brushing against his face. "It's not about winning. It's about you proving that you're strong enough to handle me. To keep me in line when I lose control—and we both know that one day I will. My mate has to be able to bring me back when my instincts take over. If you can't do it during the ritual, I could kill you…" His words ended almost inaudibly. Though he was intensely anxious when presented with the thought of harming Lucy, her knowledge of what relaxed him had kept him calm enough to tell her the truth.

"Gajeel, look at me." When he did as she asked, she smiled and said, "Do  _you_  think I'm strong enough? Can I handle you and keep you calm when it counts?"

"You're doing a bang-up job right now…" And that was when it hit him. She was already acting as if they were mated. He had lost his mind with grief when he let her go, but she came to him and brought him back without getting herself hurt at all. Her touch, her scent, everything about her made him able to talk to her about it, because she knew it was hard for him and took it upon herself to make it easier. He pulled her into his arms and jumped to his feet, rushing off through Magnolia until they reached a clearing in the forest.

Lucy laughed as the wind whipped past them, and when he finally stopped, she looked around confused. "Gajeel, where are we?"

"Tell me something. Would you do anything to be my mate?" he asked, his red eyes boring into her.

There was no hint of humor in his voice, which let Lucy know the severity of the question he asked. She took the time to think it over. To really and truly consider what he was asking her. Though she felt like it lasted hours, in a matter of seconds she gave him her reply, "Yes, without a doubt."

He smirked down at her, placed a soft kiss on her lips, then set her steadily on her feet. "Well, Bunny Girl looks like you're going to have a long night ahead of you…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gajeel's song in this chapter is "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars (youtube.com/watch?v=jJT0Suanqhg)


	2. Chapter 2

 

"Um, does someone wanna tell me what the fuck just happened?" Gray said after the guild doors slammed behind Lucy.

"Yes, it is odd that she ran after him. After everything he put her through," Erza nodded in agreement with the Ice Make mage.

Natsu turned to glare at his teammates. They didn't understand the concept of mating, even though he and Wendy had tried to explain it to them since Lucy was with Gajeel. Especially when she told them that she wanted to be his mate, but he wouldn't take that step. Erza had never liked the idea of them being together, stating that Lucy shouldn't put everything he did to her in the past so quickly. Gray just didn't like Lucy with anyone because he was an overprotective Ice Prick. "He just apologized to her," Natsu said evenly.  _Don't get pissed, don't get pissed, don't get pissed._

"Right, sure. Apologized," Gray said with a snort. He didn't care that everyone was having their own small conversations about what had just happened or listening to theirs. He cared about Lucy getting hurt  _again_  because of that bucket of bolts. "And how long will it be before he fucks up again, and she comes crying back to us? He's apologized to her before, and you know it."

Natsu's hands started to burn, his anger at how his friends were acting causing his magic to flare up. "He won't fuck up again, Gray," he said through gritted teeth. "She's gonna be his mate. He won't make the same mistake again."

Gray laughed cruelly. He had seen how heartbroken Lucy was for two whole months. Every smile she showed at the guild? She cried twice as hard when she was back at his house. When she saw Gajeel walk in with cuts and bruises all over from a mission, it had taken everything she had to stay where she was. Gray had been her rock while she stayed away from Gajeel. "Because people don't change, Natsu. He's a bastard. He was one when he was in Phantom Lord, and he's still a bastard now! He hurt Lucy then  _and_ now, and he'll do it again because she's going after him!"

Juvia stood up straight from her hiding place behind a nearby pillar.  _People don't change?!_ She stalked over to Gray and smacked him as hard as she could, then glowered while he sat there with a shocked expression on his face. "I'm disappointed in you, Gray," she seethed. "Is that what you think of me as well? Did you forget that I was also a part of Phantom Lord?!" Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks, but she refused to let him see her cry. "I can't believe I've pined after a man that would think something as horrible as that!"

"Juvia, I—"

"NO!" she shouted, effectively gaining anyone's attention that wasn't already watching the confrontation. "You're a selfish, rude, self-centered bastard.  _You're_  the bastard! Not Gajeel!" Juvia turned to run away, the tears in her eyes finally falling. She had just enough control to not cause a monsoon or flood the building, but she couldn't be near him.  _If he thinks that of Gajeel, then it's no wonder he never accepted my feelings for him._

Natsu shot out of his seat and caught the water mage before she could run away. He and Juvia had never been close, but he always thought it was funny that she would follow Gray around because it made the guy uncomfortable. He knew she needed comfort right now. He smiled internally, though he couldn't tell why, when she looked up into his eyes and then openly cried on his shoulder. "It's alright Juvia. He's an idiot," he whispered as he wrapped an arm protectively around the sobbing woman, then glared at his friend.

Gray had no words for what was happening. He never thought Juvia would strike out at him like that. He felt like an idiot for saying that stuff about Gajeel. He still thought that way about the guy, but that wasn't the case with  _her_. She had very clearly changed and fully embraced Fairy Tail when she joined. After all that time of her chasing him, and his insane annoyance with it, she was crying in the arms of the Flaming Idiot.

"What the hell, Gray?" Laxus said as he hovered at the edges of the crowd. He was still close to the doors, hearing everything that was happening outside as well as in, and making sure no one tried to go out there. With the way Gajeel was growling, it surprised him that they hadn't heard Blondie scream in fear or pain.  _Guess she really is supposed to be his mate,_  he thought as the growls died down and a whimper sounded from the other Slayer.

Gray turned to look at Laxus, still in shock. "I…" He could see the anger in everyone's eyes at what he had said. He  _was_  a bastard. Gajeel had proven himself time and again, always kept Lucy safe on missions, and he knew deep down that the guy cared about her. But… Something had always stopped Gray from accepting him fully, and that wasn't what Fairy Tail was about.

"He  _has_  changed, Gray. You're just blind," Natsu whispered, his hand rubbing small circles on the back of the woman wrapped in his embrace. "He promised to never hurt her again, and he hasn't. They have their problems like every couple, but it's more complicated than that."

Erza looked at her friends, and shook her head. "I still don't understand how it could be more complicated." Her eyebrows furrowed as she reconsidered everything she knew about the situation between Lucy and Gajeel. "She wanted more and he refused, so she left. Now he apologizes and everything is okay? It just doesn't seem right."

Juvia's tears had finally subsided, so she tried to pull away from Natsu and thank him for the shoulder to cry on. Instead, his arm tightened around her waist as he pulled her closer to him. She didn't understand it, but she felt warm and safe there and didn't want it to stop. She turned around, leaning against him so he knew she wasn't trying to leave and spoke. "Erza, you already know that Gajeel is a very private man. I was his only friend before we came to Fairy Tail, and in all that time I have never once seen him shed a tear. The fact that he got up in front of everyone and apologized to Lucy for what he did is proof enough that he cares for her."

Pantherlily flew over to the group and sat down on the table, crossing his arms over his chest. Out of everyone in the room, he knew the most about the man in question. "It's true. When he realized she wasn't coming back, he stopped going to the house because he couldn't bear to see her things there. He will never admit it, but he's scared to make her his mate."

"But," Happy said softly, "If he loves her then why wouldn't he do it?" His large eyes looked up at his own foster father, Natsu, hoping for answers. It seemed so simple to him. Happy liked Carla, so he gave her fish. Gajeel liked Lucy, so he should make her his mate.

Natsu sighed, then looked to Laxus and Wendy for their advice. Laxus had a scowl plastered on his face, and Wendy looked beyond pissed at the turn of events of her guildmates. When he caught the youngest Dragon Slayer's eye, she smiled softly and nodded.

"Because," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. This wasn't something she wanted to tell them, but it seemed as if it was the only way to make them understand what had happened. "For Gajeel to make her his mate, he would have to hurt her. If she fails, then he could kill her."

Natsu and Laxus nodded grimly. They both hated how mating worked, and wished it wasn't the only way to do it, but that was just how it was. It was slightly different for each of them, but the general idea was the same. You fight against your potential mate to test their strength, letting your instincts take over completely. The intended mate has to survive and get you to return to some semblance of who you really are. You don't get much time to celebrate before you're taken over by the need to claim your mate, and there is no telling how gentle you will be with them.

"We have to stop her!" Erza shouted as she stood up, ready to plow through Laxus to save her friend. "Clearly she doesn't know!"

Pantherlily shifted into his battle form and stood in front of the Requip mage, scowling at her. "She does."

"What?" Erza asked wide-eyed. "That can't be right…"

Pantherlily only nodded. "He told her, hoping it would make her see why they couldn't become mates. She said she didn't care, as long as she could be with him." A small smile crept across his face as he remembered how flustered Gajeel had been that the ritual hadn't scared her off.

"Then, what was with the song tonight?" Lisanna asked from her seat in Bickslow's lap. "We all know that Lucy was waiting for him to apologize… Why did he run off?"

Pantherlily sighed, but it was Mira who spoke up with sadness in her eyes. "He thought she didn't want him anymore. He thought she had moved on, and it was his way of telling her goodbye…" She could practically feel the anguish coming from the pierced mage while he sang his heart out to Lucy.

The black Exceed nodded, then added, "He broke down. I can only assume that he couldn't stand seeing her anymore, because it only caused him heartache. He didn't even hear me telling him to go talk to her."

There was a long silence as everyone absorbed what had been said. Laxus smirked and let out a soft chuckle. Because of how quiet everyone was, they all looked at him quizzically. He rolled his eyes and said, "Not that it's any of your business, but they'll be just fine. He just ran off with her."

"WHAT?!" was the collective shout that resounded through the hall.

"Guess Lucy is finally getting what she wanted," Natsu whispered happily. He took a deep breath, ready to let out a contented sigh as the guild returned to normal. Then he smelled it. It smelled like an ocean breeze on a hot summer day, the kind that revitalizes you when you've been stuck in the sweltering heat. He closed his eyes as he let the calming effects of that scent wash over him, unconsciously leaning towards the source. When his nose brushed through something soft, he opened his eyes to see nothing but blue.

"Natsu?" Juvia asked, loud enough only for him to hear.

He pushed through the woman's hair and nuzzled the pale skin of her neck, taking another deep breath. "Juvia, you smell… amazing."

The Water mage blushed, and started to stutter an apology. It was something she had grown accustomed to doing when talking with Gray, and it had become her automatic response.

Natsu frowned when he heard what she was trying to tell him and pulled away slightly. "Why are you apologizing for smelling good enough to eat?" he whispered into her ear. No matter how much she had confused him, he couldn't get enough of her scent and wanted nothing more than to breathe it in every second of the day.

"I-I… Um… I don't know…" she whispered, a deeper blush crossing her cheeks.

"Looks like Natsu found his mate," Laxus whispered as he looked at Wendy.

The young girl froze and looked at Natsu and Juvia. Then, a broad grin spread across her face as she watched the two.

"Juvia," Natsu whispered again, smirking when a shiver ran down her spine. He had no clue what had come over him. Something about how she smelled was mesmerizing, and he couldn't place why. Then, he heard what Laxus said, and finally remembered what Igneel had told him.  _You'll find her scent the most calming thing in existence, even if you have only just met._  His eyes shot open when the thought came to him, but he relaxed when she turned around to face him, her hands gently laying against his vest.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, her head cocking to the side.

Natsu smiled softly at the blunette. "Yeah, would you like to go somewhere with me? I wanna talk to you about something."

When she nodded timidly, she couldn't help but smile as Natsu's trademark grin was plastered on his face. He quickly picked her up and ran out through the back doors of the guild.

* * *

"That all you got, Dragon Boy?" Lucy taunted. She couldn't describe what had come over her, but she felt strong and powerful as she crouched in a defensive stance once more. Gajeel stood a few feet from her, panting and growling like a feral animal. Like a dragon. After he had told her that she was in for a long night, they sat and talked for a while, then they kissed again. It had instantly become heated, and then something seemed to shift in the atmosphere, causing Lucy to back away from him in a flash.

Gajeel roared into the air, his head shooting back and his muscles clenching almost painfully.  _Mine._  It was the only thought that coursed through him. The need to take and claim what was his driving him to attack the woman in front of him. Pin her down and make sure everyone knew she was taken. When he lunged at her again, he felt the fabric of her shirt slip through his fingers as she danced away from his grasp.

"If you want me, then come and get me!" she shouted. Gajeel had told her before how this worked. If she didn't calm him down and get his own mind back, then she could be killed by the dragon part of him trying to claim her. He had told her a story about a Slayer whose intended mate hadn't performed the ritual properly. He didn't know if she was just incompatible and too weak to perform it, or if she had just let the Slayer catch her to speed the process along, but it hadn't ended well. The woman's body was broken and bloody by the time the Slayer came back to himself. Instead of marking her, he had torn her throat open. Each time he grabbed her body while he claimed her, his grip had broken the bones like twigs. Her hips, legs, arms, and even her back were mutilated. The Slayer went insane with grief over what he had done, and took his own life. Lucy refused to let that happen.

Gajeel's arm turned into a club and he swung it wildly at the blonde.  _Mine._  She was moving too quickly, and he had to slow her down. She was his to claim and he planned on doing just that. That is, if he could catch her.

Lucy's eyes filled with determination when she saw his arm shift. She dodged the first and second attacks, then pulled out her whip and wrapped it around his club on the third. She used his own momentum to fling him into a tree nearby, but it didn't seem to have much effect. He instantly stood up and charged at her. Lucy brushed a hand over her keys, wishing she could summon one of her spirits.

_"I'm sorry, Bunny Girl," he whispered. "You can't use your keys. Even though they're spirits, they're still outside forces. If you bring them out, I won't come back. I'll go insane thinking that they're trying to take you away from me. You could get caught in the crossfire. Plus, I know you'd kick my ass for hurting one of them."_

_Lucy sighed at this new revelation. She was glad he was explaining it all to her now that they were planning on mating, but she hated it. "So, this is one of those times that my being a Celestial mage really hinders me," she whispered. "If I used any other type of magic, then I would be able to use it against you to stop you."_

_He pulled her close and nodded. "Yeah. I know it's not what you wanna hear, but it's just how it has to be."_

She had to think fast. He wasn't tiring in the slightest and only seemed to grow more agitated as she evaded him.  _What can calm him down…_  She ran around a tree quickly, using it to create a barrier between the two of them. There was the tell-tale sound of his arm shifting again, and she got a small peek at the sharp edge of his blade before she ducked down and covered her head.

The tree was in his way. She was on the other side. His arm shifted to his sword and he instantly cut down the offending barrier. He let out another growl when she squealed, but he couldn't see her. Gajeel quickly stalked around the tree, searching for his prize. She wasn't there.

As Lucy heard him coming around the stump he had created, she scrambled to her feet and ran back into the clearing. She smiled when he didn't seem to notice her right away, but her good mood vanished when her foot caught on a root and she toppled to the ground. A sharp pain shot through her knee, but she ignored it and got back up. Luckily the pain dulled right away and she was still able to run.

 _Blood. Her blood._  Gajeel let out a ferocious roar and followed the scent of her blood back to the clearing. She was bent over, her hands on her knees as she panted. He charged at her again, hoping this time he would catch her. She was his to claim.

Lucy heard his heavy footfalls and turned just as he was about to reach her. She did the only thing she could, and gave him a Lucy Kick. And failed.

He saw her muscles tense up as she prepared to attack him, and grabbed her leg before she could land the hit on his jaw. He growled again, then stopped. There was something wet on his hand and it made it hard to keep his grip on her leg. Gajeel looked down and saw the blood he had smelled. It was covering her shin and ankle.

Lucy had no idea what was happening. When he had caught her mid-kick, she ended up dangling in the air. Her body refused to move when he growled at her, and she recognized that it was a growl of victory. Then, he stopped.

 _Mine… Blood…_  Gajeel frowned at her leg. She shouldn't be bleeding. Something had hurt what was his. He sat her down and hovered over her leg, trying to find out why she was hurt. Something had hurt what was his, and he would make it pay. Another growl rumbled in his chest.

Lucy really had no idea what to do. She thought she was dead when he sat her on the ground, but then he just glowered at her leg like it was offending him. Then, she saw it. From her knee down was covered in her own blood.  _Must have gotten a pretty good gash when I fell,_  she thought. She tried to pull it away from him, but his hand shot to her thigh and he turned to face her, baring his teeth and growling at her.

He looked back to her injury.  _Blood… Mine… Hurt…_  She was hurt. Gajeel was torn between finding and killing what had dared to touch what was his, and helping her. His grip on her thigh loosened when he felt her relax, and he moved his hand as gently as possible to the gash in her knee.

Lucy watched as Gajeel's focus revolved only around her injury. She couldn't believe that he had stopped chasing her because she was hurt.

_"I'll never let anything hurt you. It's my job as your mate to keep you safe. Dragon's protect what's theirs."_

When Gajeel's fingers finally touched her injury, although it was light, Lucy flinched and hissed in pain.

Gajeel frowned and pulled his hand away. She was injured and in pain. She tried to move away from him again and he growled in warning. When she stilled once more, he picked up her leg and brought it to his mouth.

Lucy's mouth was hanging wide open. Gajeel had lifted her leg up and started to  _lick_  her wound clean. She knew that she couldn't move, he had given her several warnings already and she didn't want to find out what would happen if she disobeyed him right now. She could only stare at him while he cleaned every drop of blood from her leg. When he moved to the knee, she flinched again, but was surprised when it didn't hurt for him to clean it. His tongue smoothed over the wound, widening and creating an oddly soothing sensation to radiate through her.

When he had stopped the bleeding, and her leg was clean, Gajeel put it back on the ground.  _Hurt… Mine… Hurt…_  He frowned at the wound again. He had failed. He didn't protect her. He let out a small whimper as he stared at his failure. She was his to claim, but he didn't keep her safe.

The noise that left Gajeel broke Lucy's heart. She knew he still wasn't himself, otherwise he would be grumbling about her being clumsy. He looked as if he was ashamed of something, and she thought she had an idea of what it was. An idea came to her, and she acted on it. It could backfire, and it was risky as hell, but so was this whole ritual they were going through. Refusing to think on it too much, Lucy shot forward and tackled him to the ground. Once she had him on his back, she instantly brought her nose to his neck and inhaled his metallic and cinnamon scent.

Gajeel was surprised by her. He fell backwards with her on top of him, and she nuzzled his neck. A dragon's sign of forgiveness and gratitude. His chest rumbled in approval of her actions while her strawberry scent surrounded him again.

Lucy slowly moved from his neck to his face, just like she had done earlier in the night. She avoided his lips, remembering that he told her his mouth wasn't to be trusted until he was back to normal. She felt like a cat as she rubbed her cheek against his, her nose against his studded nose, then returned to nuzzling his neck. He purred. She knew that he would never admit it, but that's what the sound was. Lucy's hands sought out his hair, and her nails lightly ran across his scalp.  _It's my job to calm him down. I know what to do…_

The tension in Gajeel's body faded. She forgave him. She was thankful for him taking care of her. She was his. As Lucy continued to rub her face along every part of his own, the fog in his mind started to clear. Gajeel felt himself slowly returning to normal, and when he was completely in control of his body, his hands slid up and around Lucy's small frame.

Lucy tensed when she felt him wrap his arms around her, worried that she had made a mistake.

"Mmm…" he moaned in disappointment, "Don't stop, Bunny Girl." He didn't know when his eyes had closed, but he was enjoying the attention she was giving him.

Lucy smiled when she heard his voice. It was a little hoarse, probably from all that roaring and growling he'd done, but his words proved that he was back. She pressed a soft kiss to the piercings in his left ear, then nuzzled him again and again. He started purring again and drew lazy circles across her back. Every time she stopped paying attention to his neck or hair, he would whine and squeeze her lightly. Finally, she giggled at his actions.

Gajeel peeked one eye open and whispered, "What's so funny?"

She smiled against his neck. "You. I feel like a cat rubbing my face all over you, but when I stop—" she stopped. As expected he whimpered, causing her to giggle again. "When I stop you do that."

He shrugged and said, "Feels good." With a soft smile that she rarely ever saw, he whispered, "Plus, you forgave me…"

"Forgave you?" she asked, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What did you do wrong?"

His smiled faded, and was replaced with a sour look. "You got hurt. I'm supposed to keep my mate safe, and I failed."

"I tripped, Gajeel… I  _always_  trip," she said with a smile of her own. "I wasn't mad to begin with, so how did I forgive you?"

Gajeel leaned up slightly and pressed his nose to her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of strawberries before rubbing against the creamy skin. "Like this. For dragons, that's a sign of forgiveness or gratitude… or both. It can also be used to show remorse and the desire for forgiveness." He sighed happily as he laid his head back down on the ground. "You doing that told me that you forgave me for failing, and that you were glad I took care of you. It brought me back…"

Lucy smiled softly at him, then said, "I'll keep that in mind for the future." She bit her bottom lip, feeling unsure of herself for a second, then asked, "Is it safe to kiss you now?"

Gajeel laughed and leaned up to press his lips to hers. They were soft and sweet, just how he remembered them. "Safe as can be, Bunny," he murmured between kisses.

Lucy pulled back slightly and smirked at him. "Your mouth is  _not_ a safe place… Not with all those… sharp… teeth." She had started smirking, but the longer she looked at the faint glint of fangs in the moonlight, the more she wanted to feel them pressed to her skin. She loved how it felt when he gave her little lovebites, and she wondered how it would feel if he bit just a little harder. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

He could smell the arousal wafting off of her, and knew that the next part was starting. While he still had control of himself, he said, "You might wanna take your clothes off… Unless you feel like walking home naked later."

Lucy was broken from her trance by his words, and pulled herself up to sit on the ground next to him. She watched his muscles flex as he removed his shirt, and licked her lips again when she saw each of his prominent muscles revealed from their hiding place under the cloth.

Gajeel chuckled. "I'm serious, Bunny." He kicked his boots off, then removed his pants. He could tell from Lucy's perusal of his naked body, and the spike in her arousal that floated through the air, that she was enjoying what she saw. When she made no move to do as he suggested, he smirked and said, "Guess I'll have to do it myself then."

Lucy barely registered Gajeel slowly pushing her to lie back on the grass, since she was more concerned with what he had kept hidden under his clothes. After one and a half years, the sight of him naked still sent shivers down her spine and put her into a lust-filled stupor.

Gajeel lowered his lips to hers, and kept the kiss as gentle and innocent as he could while he removed her clothes. First her top and bra, with an accompanying groan of approval from him when her mounds were set free and puckering against the cool air. Then her shoes, skirt, and— _Oh man,_  he thought—red lace panties. In that moment, Gajeel understood why Lucy had looked at him the way she had. He realized then that they had gone two months without sex. Two months of him not being able to touch her, feel her come apart around her, hear his name screamed into the sky as she found her release. Gajeel's mouth had gone dry as he looked down at her, lying naked on the lush green grass that surrounded them.

Lucy smiled and thought,  _I've missed this._  It was true. She had missed everything that she and Gajeel had. Her heart raced and a blush crossed her cheeks in anticipation of finally becoming his mate. She would be a liar if she said that she wasn't nervous. It was almost as if this was her first time all over again. Gajeel had been the one since the beginning, and he was the only man that knew her body. She shivered as another chilly breeze passed over her, and felt her nipples tighten in response.

Gajeel saw her shiver, watched as the tips of her breasts puckered in response to the wind, and slowly lowered himself between her legs. He pressed tightly against her and ran a hand though her hair, tucking the stray strands behind her ear. His eyes closed as her hands slid up his arms, massaging his biceps, and he leaned down to kiss her again. He could feel his need to claim her rising and knew that he didn't have long before his instincts took over. He wished that he could do this himself, claim her with his mind intact. That just wasn't how it was done. He pulled away from the kiss, laying his head on her shoulder and taking deep breaths while he felt his mind go into a haze again. "Love you, Bunny," he whispered just before he was pulled under.

Before Lucy could respond, she sensed the change in him. A violent shudder went through Gajeel as he hovered over her, then a growl rumbled in his chest. Her heart started to race, not fueled by fear but by excitement.  _The hard part is over,_ she thought,  _Now it's time to enjoy the ride._  Gajeel's teeth nipped lightly on her collarbone, and she whimpered with need. Lucy tangled her hands in his hair and arched her back, pushing her chest closer to his and moaning from the friction between them.

Gajeel's hand shot to her breast as it rubbed against him, and he roughly palmed it. Lucy's moans made him crave more. "Mine," he growled as he pressed himself firmly against her core.

"Ngh!" Lucy's hips rolled against him and she wished he was already deep inside of her. She had ached for him for too long, and needed to feel him right then. She yanked his head up, giving him a sultry smirk when he growled at her, then slammed her lips onto his.

It was all the permission his inner dragon needed from her. Gajeel bit her lower lip and sucked it into his mouth before dominating the kiss. He groaned as her tongue slid against his own. Shuddered when her legs moved like silk to wrap around his hips. There was no foreplay. When he was in his right mind, he had the chance for that. She needed to be claimed before he could allow any such luxuries.

Lucy quickly reached between them and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. As she stroked him, she smiled when she felt each of the piercings that adorned his proud member. Gajeel instantly began thrusting into her hand, and she wasted no time is lining him up at her entrance.

He broke away from her lips and nibbled along her jaw to her neck. "Mine," he growled again as he prepared to claim her as his for good.

"Yours," she whispered. It was the softest of sounds carried away on the wind, but she knew he heard her.

One word.  _The_  word. Gajeel slammed himself into her core and clamped his jaw on her neck at the same time. He felt the smallest amount of her blood trickle into his mouth as he licked the wound he'd made.

She couldn't remember having felt so full in all of her time with Gajeel. Lucy moaned and tried to roll her hips in an attempt to make him move, but he growled at her in warning. She stilled and then felt him tenderly lick the bite on her neck.

Once he had deemed it thoroughly cleaned and cared for, he lifted himself up and pulled his hips back slowly. With a snap of his hips, he filled her again. That had set him off at a relentless pace, the only sounds around he could hear was the smacking of his skin against hers and her moans. He couldn't stop himself from plunging so forcefully inside of her, but as he continued her screams and the fluttering of her walls around him made him want more. Gajeel's hands reached under her and lifted her hips from the ground, allowing him to increase his speed.

Her climax was close. She was standing on the precipice, waiting to fall over the edge, when he lifted her hips. She didn't think it was possible for him to pound into her any faster than he was, but Gajeel found a way. Lucy's head normally would have flown back as her body found its release, but this time she leaned forward letting loose a growl of her own. Her own teeth were bared as she bit down on Gajeel's neck, and she felt the skin break against them. She couldn't understand what had driven her to do it, but she didn't care. There was no time to lick his neck clean as he had done for her when he shifted their positions again.

Gajeel pulled Lucy flush against his body, lifting her so that she was poised in his lap. His hands gripped her hips like a vice as he pulled her down onto him. Harder and harder until she was incapable of forming words. Every sound that left her was a moan, a heaving breath, even a growl. She clawed at his back as she crested over another climax, but he couldn't stop.

When Lucy returned to herself, she decided it was time to have some fun. She pushed against Gajeel's chest and started to ride him as soon as his back hit the ground. His pace never faltered, and even in this position he was the dominant partner. She tried everything in her power to keep up with the brutal pace he had set, but still relied on his bruising grip on her hips to keep her going. Every roll of her hips brought a new wave of pleasure washing through her, and her nails dug into his chest as she tried to stay upright. She whimpered when her walls fluttered again, already unsure of how much more she could take. Her arms began to shake along with her legs, but he never slowed down. Never stopped.

Lucy's body clenched painfully around Gajeel, and the small part of him that was witnessing their mating saw exhaustion hit her. Tears started to stream down her face, and his heart broke. Gajeel rolled Lucy over and pinned her to the ground once more. He grabbed her hands and slammed them up and over her head. "More," he growled against the untainted skin on the other side of her neck.

"Please, Gajeel…" she begged. It was too much for her. She couldn't handle any more, but she knew he wouldn't stop until she was completely his. She whimpered again when she felt him sink his teeth into the other side of her neck, felt him lick away any traces of blood from the injury. He continued nipping at her skin and pulled away with a feral look in his eyes. Lucy's eyes widened as she saw his skin morph into metallic scales, his irises becoming red slits. She whimpered as he continued to plow into her depths, and winced when she realized that he was  _completely_  metal.

Gajeel kept her hands pinned above her with one of his own, then slid the other down her body to tease her sensitive bundle, causing light scratches on her torso with his now metallic nails. At the slightest touch, she quivered around him and arched her back. He sucked on any part of her skin that he could reach. Lowered his mouth to her breasts and nibbled on the soft mounds. Every time his teeth bit into her skin, he made sure to clean every drop of her blood away. The metallic taste to her blood only made him want to taste her more. It was sweeter than any metal he had ever had, and it only made him bite down harder. Gajeel moved his head back up to her shoulder, and with a ferocious growl he bit down with all the force he possessed into the tender muscle there.

"AGH! Ga… Gajeel!" she screamed as he bit her right when she went over the edge. She couldn't tell what was painful and what wasn't. Every time his teeth grazed her, or he sucked too hard on her skin, he would also flick his finger across her small pearl. She was starting to worry though when she felt his jaw clamp shut on her shoulder, and he made no attempt to remove his teeth like he'd done before.

Gajeel's consciousness watched in horror as mark after mark was left on Lucy's body. He could see she was in pain, but she was also feeling intense pleasure. There was confusion in her eyes, and he hated it. He hated that she had to endure this. It should have been  _him_  with her while he claimed her as his mate and not some archaic instinct that treated her like a piece of meat. He mentally pushed against the barrier that had held him back, fought the haze that was clouding his mind.  _I need to help her,_  he shouted to himself. Again and again he fought against it, hoping that he could break through free from the instincts and get to his Lucy. It was while he was trying to force his way out that he realized his mistake. Gajeel should have figured out that Lucy wasn't the only one that would be tested during their mating; she had to find a way to calm him, but he also had a test. He had to learn to control his instincts for the sake of his mate. With this new knowledge, he pushed harder against the haze surrounding him until he finally broke free.

Lucy watched as Gajeel's head flew back, feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder as his teeth ripped away from it, and a roar spilled from his throat. His violent and relentless pace faltered. Then stopped. He let go of her hands and his whole body shook as his head dropped back down. His hair cascaded around them and she could see that his face was screwed up almost as if he was in pain. His red eyes were blocked from her view and she could see his jaw clenching and unclenching as he panted through his gritted teeth. Slowly, the metallic scales that covered his body faded to reveal his tanned skin.

He felt her hand tentatively brush against his cheek, so he opened his eyes to look at her. She tensed for a moment, staring into his eyes. Some sort of understanding sparked in her chocolate brown orbs, and she pulled him down to her and wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. His heart shattered when he felt her body shaking from her sobs, and all he could do was bury his nose in the juncture of her neck and shoulder and hope that she would forgive him. He should have known it was another test, only he was the one being tested that time.

Lucy couldn't help but cry when she saw Gajeel.  _Her_  Gajeel looking back at her. There was no animalistic glint in his eyes, but there was guilt and sadness. She didn't care that he was still firmly planted within her, or that they were naked in a forest clearing. What she cared about was that he was back. She smiled through her tears when she felt him rubbing his nose in the crook of her neck. She tried to tell him that she forgave him, but couldn't get her words out through her tears. She slowly pulled his head away from her and tried to smile even though she saw rejection in his eyes. Slowly, and very carefully, she raised her head and forgave him the only way she could—the only way a dragon understands.

Gajeel heaved a sigh of relief when she gently rubbed her face against his. He couldn't believe that he had let her get hurt so badly. All because he didn't realize soon enough that it was a test for him. He looked down at her, and winced at the amount of marks that were littering her skin. "Lucy," he whispered.

She stopped nuzzling against him and frowned at him.

"Bunny?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. When she beamed at him and nodded, returning to her nuzzling, he couldn't help but smile. "I'm so sorry. I should have realized sooner…"

When she tilted her own head to the side, she tried to ask what he meant, but her voice was hoarse from her earlier screams. She decided it might be best to rest her throat while she had the chance. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that they weren't done yet.

"The ritual…" he sighed. "You were tested to see if you could calm my raging instincts. I was being tested, too. But… I wasn't ever told about that part." Gajeel's eyes closed as Lucy moved her fingers over the piercings in his brow. He already knew what she wanted to ask, so he said, "I saw everything through a fog. I couldn't do anything about what my body was doing to you at the time. I didn't think I was supposed to. But then… I saw the look in your eyes, the pain and confusion you were feeling… and… the marks all over you…"

"Shh," she whispered. One of the few noises she could make at that point.

"The worst part is that it's not done," he whispered as he leaned back into her embrace. "There's one last part, but now I understand why it exists. Claiming was my test, and the fact that I broke through means that I passed, I guess. Then there's marking. Then mating."

Lucy was thoroughly confused by that point.

"For me to mark you, I have to bite you again. Only I  _also_  have to send a small amount of my magic into the bite. With that, you'll have a mark associated with my metal." He looked at her and waited until she nodded in understanding. Then, he continued. "Mating, which is something I always thought was redundant, is us  _actually_  mating." He sighed heavily.

Lucy tapped his forehead lightly and cocked her head to the side again.

His red eyes looked deeply into her brown ones, and he said, "It won't be like this… not based on instincts… I can feel it, like I always knew it deep down. It'll be just me and you, the way we wanted."

Lucy smiled softly at him, her eyes filled with understanding. She tried to lift her other arm to his face, then grunted from the pain that ran down it.  _The shoulder he bit,_  she thought sourly. She didn't blame Gajeel, because it wasn't him that had done it. That didn't make it hurt any less. Lucy bit her lips as she tried to ignore the pain she was feeling, but saw Gajeel's eyes studying her and then her shoulder.

His eyes widened when he saw the damage that had been done to her. His mate. Her shoulder was completely torn open, the shape of his bite clearly evident. He could even see some areas where there were only punctures from his teeth. The majority of it, however, was ripped open and slowly bleeding. He leaned down and felt her tense beneath him—he flinched internally at her fear of him—then he slowly cleaned the wound he had made. At first, when he was younger, he had thought it was weird to lick a wound clean. Metallicana explained that it helped it heal faster, and that humans were the only creatures that didn't do it because they were idiots with disgusting mouths. When Gajeel had asked why  _he_  should do it—since he was also human—his father told him that one of the many traits he gained with his magic was a more animalistic side. Apparently that also translated to licking wounds clean.

Lucy sighed in relief as his tongue brushed across her injury. While she had thought it was weird earlier, now she found that it was soothing. Some primal part of her was twirling in happy little circles that Gajeel was caring for her so tenderly at that moment.

He staunched the blood flow and looked meekly back into her eyes. He was utterly surprised when he saw her smiling lovingly at him, and even more surprised when she pulled him down for a kiss. Lucy's tongue flicked across his lower lip and she moaned against him when she tasted the metallic tang of her own blood.

She pulled away to look at Gajeel and whispered, "Well, if we're not done then let's finish this ritual and go home. I'd rather be with you in our bed."

Gajeel lowered his lips to hers and growled lightly at her words. He had hurt her enough, and didn't want to cause her more pain, but she was right. She had endured so much in a single night that she was more than deserving of becoming his mate. "I promise I'll be gentle, Bunny," he said between kisses.

Lucy shivered in delight, her pain forgotten for the moment, when she felt the calloused pads of Gajeel's fingers caressing her skin. She winced when he started to pull himself from her, then pushed slowly back in. There were no similarities between when they had started and now. In the beginning, while he was all instinct, he had been rough and demanding, pounding into her with a force she never could have imagined. He had used his teeth as a form of pleasure and pain for her. With Gajeel in his right mind, he was slow and careful of each wound she had endured. She didn't feel him nip against her skin once while he kept his slow pace. In fact, he seemed to be making his way to each of her small injuries and pressing his lips to them.

He felt like he was worshipping a goddess. As far as Gajeel was concerned, Lucy was just that. She hadn't deserved any of the marks she had received while his consciousness was locked away, and he peppered each one with soft, apologetic kisses. He refused to lose control with her again, and kept his urge to pound into her until she was a blubbering mess on a tight leash. His arm wrapped around her, under her head, and his other hand brushed lightly up and down her thigh. It was slow, slower than they had ever gone before—even when he had taken her virginity—but it was perfect. He felt his release building along with hers, and knew that he had to mark her before they finished mating.

Lucy was moaning long and low at the feel of Gajeel's tender and gentle thrusts. She felt every inch of him withdrawing until only his tip was sitting at her entrance, then he would push back in equally slowly until she was gripping all of him. She rolled her hips experimentally, testing to see if she was in too much pain, and smiled into his kiss when she found it only gave her more pleasure. Her breath caught in her throat as he hit that special spot inside of her, and she felt a growl vibrate through his chest. "Faster," she whispered.

Gajeel shook his head, refusing to hurt her any more than he already had.

"Please, Gajeel…" she was begging. Her climax had reached a plateau, and she needed more to keep climbing.

"I won't hurt you," he said through gritted teeth. He dropped his head to her good shoulder and closed his eyes. He didn't want to lose control again.

Lucy rolled her eyes. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, regardless of what had happened earlier. She looked down and smirked as she saw his neck stretched out in front of her, her earlier bite mark still bleeding lightly. Lucy leaned up and brushed her tongue along the teeth marks in his neck. She felt a shudder run through him, but he didn't waver.  _I need more,_ she thought. She kept licking him until her brain said she was finished, then wrapped her arms around his back. She marveled at the prominent muscles, massaging them as they tensed and contracted with each of his thrusts.

"Bunny, I have to mark you…" he said, sounding unsure even to himself. He pulled her hands away from his back and looked into her eyes. When she smiled reassuringly at him, he lowered his mouth to her wrists, biting each one and transferring a small amount of his magic into the punctures from his fangs. Normally, it would have been on her neck or shoulders, but he had bitten her so many times while he was in that haze that there wasn't a viable place anywhere.

Lucy felt an odd warming sensation run through her whole body after he marked her. There was a deeper connection forming between the two of them, and she felt every part of it. As it reached to the tips of her fingers and toes, she felt Gajeel shudder against her. Some part of Lucy decided it was time to emerge, maybe even a part that was latent until she was marked. She managed to roll him over onto his back again, smirking at the surprised look on his face. She kept the slow pace he had set as she raised both of his wrists to her mouth, and repeated what he had done. Lucy didn't know how she did it, she didn't even realize it was possible to transfer magic into a bite mark until that night, but that small part of her was telling her what she needed to do. After running her tongue along each mark, Lucy pinned his hands above his head and grinned.

"What—" Gajeel groaned as he felt warmth spread from the bites on his wrists. It felt right, as if he was becoming whole. He didn't even realize there was a part of him missing, but it was being filled with that warmth.

Lucy leaned down, pressing her chest tightly to his and licked the shell of his ear. When he shivered at her touch, she whispered, "Mine." Before he could react, she pushed herself onto him a little more forcefully, rolling her hips as her pelvis met his.

Gajeel stared wide-eyed as Lucy ground herself against him, her eyes fluttering closed as her climax started to build at a rapid rate. His hips twitched slightly, his body wishing it could join in, and she moaned loudly. He slowly flexed his hips to meet her, and groaned when she picked up in speed.

Lucy was so close, and knew that Gajeel was too. His breathing had become uneven, his abs tightening deliciously as he tried to hold back. "Are you mine?" she whispered sensually, reveling in the growl he let loose.

Gajeel quickly sat up, wrapping his arms around Lucy's waist and pulling her flush against his chest as she continued to ride him. He brought a hand up to tangle in her hair, and just before he spilled himself inside of her, he growled out, "All yours."

Lucy's body tensed as her core clenched around him. Her head wanted to fly back with the force of her orgasm, but Gajeel's hand kept it in place. Chocolate brown eyes stared into gleaming red as they came apart together. She felt Gajeel's hand pressing lightly against her head, and leaned down to capture his lips while their bodies still shook in the aftermath.

Gajeel had no idea how long they sat in the clearing, but when Lucy shivered and cuddled closer to him as a gust of chilly air blew past, he knew they needed to get home. He slowly and carefully withdrew himself from her and sat her on the grass. Then, he stood up and grabbed their clothing as quickly as he could. He threw on his pants and boots, grabbed her keys, whip and shirt, then walked back over to her. Kneeling down next to Lucy, he wadded up her shirt and pressed it firmly over the gaping hole in her shoulder. She glared at him at for a second, most likely for the misuse of her clothing, but he just glared right back. "You can wear my shirt, since you're too banged up to wear anything constricting right now. I'll take you home and get you all bandaged up, okay Bunny?"

Lucy's icy stare instantly melted, and she smiled and gave him a small nod. After he put the huge shirt on her, she giggled when she looked down at herself. "I'm drowning in fabric!" she shouted with a smile still on her lips.

Gajeel picked her up, careful of the injuries she had, and walked out of the clearing towards their house.

* * *

It had been a month since Gajeel or Lucy had gone to the guild. He refused to let her leave until every one of the marks he'd left on her had healed, silently adding that he didn't want any of those perverts ogling his woman. When she told him to call Wendy over to speed up the healing process, saying that the young girl would understand, he growled at her. Lucy was quickly learning how overprotective her mate could be. When she brought it up that morning, he growled again, but sighed when she glared at him.

"Look," he said, taking her small hands into his large ones, "It's gonna be a bit before I calm the fuck down with this shit. It's still new, and everything inside of me is saying that no one can come near you. Why do you think Lily has been staying with Wendy and Carla?"

Lucy thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright," she conceded. There were just some things she had to let slide—especially when he was admitting that it was part of being newly mated. "But, can we at least let the guild know that everything's okay? We didn't come back that night after everything that had happened, and I'm sure they're worried about us."

Gajeel snorted then said, "If they're smart, they'll listen to Natsu and Laxus. Hell, even Wendy knows it's not safe to go near a new mate."

Lucy sighed.  _That's what I'm worried about._  As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and a muffled call of "Lucy!" that could only have come from one such idiot.

Gajeel growled and stomped over to the door. "She's busy," he said flatly when he opened it to see Gray standing there half-naked.

"Just let me talk to her," Gray said through gritted teeth. He wanted to know that she was okay. Regardless of what the other Slayers said, he had to see for himself. It had been a whole month, and she still hadn't come back to the guild.

"You're gonna stay the  _fuck_  away from my mate, or I'll rip your face off and wear it as a mask, Stripper." Gajeel was seething, his vision turning red at the man's refusal to back down. His instincts were running on high, the need to keep his mate safe while she healed the only thing that was important to him.

Gray blanched at the threat, instantly picturing Gajeel running around with his face and scaring the shit out of little kids. He quickly shored up his resolve and stood firmly in the doorway. "I'm not leaving until I see her."

Gajeel snarled, his body tensing to lunge at the Ice Make mage, but Lucy stepped up behind him and placed her hand on his forearm. He relaxed, but only slightly. She smiled softly as her hand moved down to the small stars that adorned the inside of his wrist. As soon as her fingers touched it, she knew he felt a wave of calm wash over him.  _One of the perks of being mated,_ she thought,  _Instant relaxation._  "Gajeel," she whispered. It was loud enough for only him to hear her. "Let me tell him that I'm fine, and then he'll leave. I'll make sure he doesn't come back."

Gajeel's head turned to look at her worriedly. She was wearing a tube top—had been wearing them for the past few days while she healed—since it was the only thing that didn't rub against her marks. He knew that Gray would see them and think the worst. Hell, her shoulder wasn't even bandaged right then. He hadn't gotten a chance to put the new bandage on yet. She kept tracing small circles on his wrist, knowing full well how it would keep him from killing the man at the door. Finally, he sighed in defeat and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Gray's eyes widened in shock and horror at the sight of Lucy. She was covered in mottled bruises, faint scratches, and clearly had bite marks from her jaw to the top of her shirt. His mouth dropped open, and everything turned to pure rage when he saw the gaping wound on her shoulder that was only partially healed. "What the fuck did you do to her?!" he yelled. He made a grab for Lucy, hoping to pull her away from the monster inside the house, but Gajeel pushed her behind him and snarled.

"Keep your hands off of her, Ice Prick," Gajeel warned, a series of growls rumbling through him.

"I should be saying the same to you! What kind of man does tha—" Gray's rant was quickly cut off by a flaming fist to his face. Then, he was grappled around his neck and dragged roughly across the street, kicking and flailing at his assailant.

"I told you to stay away from here!" Natsu shouted. He threw Gray to the ground and quickly pinned him before the man could make a move towards the house. "Do you have a death wish or something?!"

"Lucy's beaten all to hell!" Gray shouted back. He couldn't understand how Natsu was protecting that bucket of bolts instead of Lucy.

Natsu could still hear menacing growls coming from the open door, and a quick glance told him that Gajeel was about to lose it. It was one thing for someone—especially a man—to come near his new mate. Gajeel's anger and protective nature was justified. It was wholly different when another  _Slayer_  came near the mate this early on. Natsu being a  _male_  Dragon Slayer was only making it worse. "Lucy!" Natsu shouted. "Stop Gajeel before he kills us!" He grabbed Gray by the neck and quickly dragged him down the street, away from the house.

Lucy couldn't hear her friend's words over the noises Gajeel was making. They seemed to be bouncing off the walls, and it was giving her a headache. "Gajeel," she whispered. Lucy put a hand to her head, wishing the noise would stop. "Gajeel…" She felt faint, and the room started spinning. She tried to grab onto him to steady herself, but missed and fell to the floor.

The soft thud made Gajeel wheel around in place, thinking someone was trying to break in and harm his mate. When he saw no threat, he looked down and saw Lucy on her knees holding her head. He instantly dropped down and ran his hands along her arms. She felt clammy and her skin had gone pale. "Bunny? You okay?" he whispered as she started shaking.

She wasn't okay. Lucy's stomach dropped even further than she did when she fell to the floor. Thankfully, Gajeel's growling had stopped when he saw her, so the ringing in her head was lightening up a little. She tried to look at him, but the room just started spinning, making her feel nauseous. She quickly scrambled down the hall to the bathroom, Gajeel hot on her heels, and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

In all the time he had been with her, Gajeel had never seen Lucy vomit. Sure, he had seen her sick, with her little nose turning red that was just adorable—not that he would ever admit ht. It was doing one hell of a job on his nose, but he pushed that aside and knelt down beside her. Between heaves, she was panting and whimpering. He pulled a hair clip from the counter and pulled her blonde locks away from her face, then massaged soothing circles on her back.

When she finally stopped, Lucy whimpered again. Her stomach was in knots, and it felt like it was trying to jump out of her body through her mouth. She felt extremely hot, like Natsu had wrapped himself around her, but still shivered as the cool air of the house hit her damp skin. She stood up shakily, and leaned against Gajeel as she washed her face and brushed her teeth.

"Come on," he whispered softly, his hand still rubbing her back. "Let's get you to bed. I'll make something to settle your stomach."

Lucy grimaced at the thought of food, but nodded anyway. They walked slowly back to the room, and she curled up in the blankets as soon as she laid down. She barely saw Gajeel grabbing a bucket and placing it on the floor next to her before he walked back out of the room.

He had no idea what to think in that moment. One minute, they were talking and laughing, then the Icy Bastard had to come by, and then she was puking her guts out. Gajeel scowled at the kitchen. He hated cooking, regardless of how proficient he was at it.  _It's for Lucy,_  he thought, and instantly made his way in. He knew she would need something bland, so he made her some regular oatmeal. He almost grabbed the strawberries from the fridge, but decided that she had to keep her food down before she could have anything else. As he made his way back to the bedroom, he realized the front door was still wide open. He walked over, slammed and locked it, then made his way back to her.

Lucy didn't want to open her eyes, she just wanted to take a nap. She grumbled at Gajeel for making her sit up, but was rewarded with delicious oatmeal—even if it didn't have strawberries like she preferred—for her efforts. It was odd. The oatmeal tasted better than it normally did, and when she finished the bowl, she figured out why. As Lucy licked the spoon clean, the metallic taste of the utensil filled her mouth. She growled at Gajeel as he tried to take it away to wash it, and almost fell over laughing at the shocked look on his face.

"Bunny? Give me the spoon," he said calmly, as if she was about to go on a rampage. She was acting like him with iron. Except, he had to make all of their utensils with his own magic so he wouldn't eat them.

"Mm-MM!" she said petulantly, the spoon still in her mouth. "Tastes good." Her words were muffled, but she could tell her understood her as his eyes widened again.

"Give me the spoon," he said again, his hand held out at a safe distance from her. He smirked at her and said, "Since when did you start eating met—"

His snarky comment was cut off by a loud crunching sound. "Mmm," Lucy moaned as she chewed. Her eyes closed while she tasted every bit of the spoon rolling around in her mouth. When her eyes opened again, she blushed at the look her mate was giving her. "What?" she asked as she took another bite.

"Uhh… Bunny?" He couldn't believe it. His mate was eating  _metal._  He was pretty sure that was something that was reserved for him, being an Iron Dragon Slayer and all.

"Hmm?" Lucy's head tilted to the side as she pushed the last piece into her mouth.

"What the hell?" He knew it sounded harsh, but she was used to it. He couldn't find it in him in that moment to try and sugar-coat things.

Lucy shrugged, blushing slightly. "I  _have_  always wondered why you think metal is so delicious…" She stopped and thought for a second, then smiled. "I get it now."

"… Okay? But—"

"Hey can you bring me another spoon?"

"NO! What the fuck?!" Gajeel's mind was reeling. His eyebrows drew together as he vaguely recalled Metallicana mentioning something about this. But, he couldn't remember. "You know what? I'll be right back."

Lucy shrugged and handed Gajeel her empty bowl as he left. She was feeling better already, so she leaned back into the pillows and picked up the book on her nightstand. After a few minutes, Gajeel came back and sat cross-legged on the bed next to her, then put something in her hand. Lucy looked confused for a moment before she looked down and saw a small metal nugget. She smiled at him brightly and popped it into her mouth. Then spit it back out. "That's disgusting! What the hell is that?!" she shouted, trying to scrape the taste off of her tongue.

"Iron from the scrapyard…" he whispered. The gears were turning in his head, and he popped the piece of metal into his mouth. He moaned slightly at the taste of Lucy mixed with it, and savored the small piece while he thought. An idea popped into his head, and he channeled a small amount of magic into his hand. When he was done, he placed the newly formed iron nugget into Lucy's hand.

She stared at him for a second, her eyebrow raised, then slowly put the metal in her mouth. As soon as it touched her tongue, she moaned and started chewing it.  _Who knew I'd be able to chew through metal? This is kinda neat,_  she thought giddily. "Oh my god, Gajeel. That's delicious!" she said after she swallowed the tiny morsel. She stared longingly at him, then smirked as she crawled in his lap. "Can I have more?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Uh, I guess?" he said softly. He had no idea what had come over the tiny blonde, but he wasn't going to deny her. Especially when she was feeling better.  _Hell,_  he thought,  _This could just be part of being my mate. Though, I wonder why it didn't happen sooner…_  He made a small pile of bite-sized iron pieces on the bed and watched in awe as Lucy devoured the whole thing.

After eating the last piece, Lucy smiled contentedly and wrapped her arm around Gajeel's neck. She slowly inhaled his metal and cinnamon scent and whispered, "Thank you. I feel loads better now."

Gajeel nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was still completely confused, and a little worried that maybe she shouldn't be eating metal.  _Ha,_  he thought to himself,  _That's rich coming from you…_  As he held his mate in his arms, the memory of what Metallicana told him surfaced, and he went pale. He roughly pulled Lucy away from him and looked her up and down.

"What's wrong?" she asked with her brow furrowed.

He laid her down on the bed, and started to sniff her. He had to check for any changes in her scent.

"Um… alright… That's kinda weird," she said with a soft chuckle.

Gajeel shot off the bed and ran out of the room, shouting, "Be right back!"

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes. The insanity of her morning had finally caught up to her, and Lucy decided to take a small nap. She burrowed under the blanket and snuggled into the pillow that Gajeel used, letting the smell of him wrap around her and lull her into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Lucy woke up to hushed voices in the room. She could hear the rumble of Gajeel's voice, and another higher voice whispering near her, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Slowly, she rolled over and opened her eyes. "Wendy," she whispered sleepily, "What are you doing here?"

The young Slayer's attention immediately went to Lucy, and she smiled. "Gajeel told me you weren't feeling well, so he asked me to come by and make sure you were okay." She walked over and sat down on the bed next to Lucy. "Would it be alright if I checked you out now?" she asked timidly.

"Sure," Lucy said with a soft smile. She rolled over onto her back as Wendy told her, then felt the young girl's magic coursing through her. It was warm and welcoming, and Lucy sighed happily. Her eyes moved across the room to Gajeel, and she frowned at how tense he was while he watched Wendy. "Gajeel," she whispered, gaining his attention, "Are you okay? You look like you're about to break something."

He gave her a curt nod, then returned his attention to Wendy. He had called her when he had rushed out of the room, and told her to come to the house quickly, saying that he would explain when she got there. As soon as she walked in the door, he had told her what happened that morning: Gray stopping by, Lucy getting sick, and then her eating a spoon and a whole pile of his iron. When he saw the shock written all over her face, he told her what Metallicana had said to him about this happening, and she nodded in understanding. They had agreed to wait until Lucy woke up from her nap for Wendy to check her over. He was worried. That was the only emotion he could possibly feel in that moment. It was bordering on scared shitless.

Wendy's face was a mask of concentration as she sent her magic into Lucy's body. She checked the blonde's vitals, and everything was normal. Then, she found the cause for Gajeel's suspicions. Keeping her face neutral, her magic stopped and she turned to the man in the corner and gave him a soft smile, then nodded. She laughed when he dropped to the ground, landing loudly on his rump with a dazed expression on his face.

"Um, what's going on?" Lucy asked, her eyes shooting from her mate on the ground to the giggling girl next to her.

Wendy leaned over and gave her a small hug, then said, "Gajeel will tell you when he regains his composure. I have to get going. You're fine, Lucy."

Lucy watched Wendy walk over to Gajeel and whisper something in his ear, then leave. She sat there for a minute and watched warily as he stood up and walked out of the room.  _Okay?_  Deciding that her mate had gone completely bonkers, Lucy grabbed her book once more and picked up where she had left off earlier that day.

Gajeel stood in the kitchen again, staring at the floor.  _Fuck…_  He had no idea what to do. Wendy had told him that Lucy needed to eat something so she could get up and moving around, but he was stuck. It was bound to happen one day, but he didn't think it would be so soon. His mind was whirling with conflicted emotions and thoughts, and he finally snapped out of it when he realized he needed to take care of his mate. That sole driving force caused him to move and start making her some lunch.

Lucy smiled when Gajeel brought a tray of food into the room. Sandwiches, soup, and two plates of metal, along with two glasses of water. She raised her eyebrow at him when he sat down next to her and said, "You know, I can eat out in the dining room. I'm not bedridden."

He placed a soft kiss to her temple and said, "Consider this as me spoiling you. Now eat, then I have to talk to you."

Lucy shrugged and kissed his cheek, then reached for a piece of metal only for her hand to get smacked away. "Hey!"

"That one's mine," he said bluntly. When she glared at him, he sighed and elaborated. "You were about to grab scrap metal. You said it tastes gross. The other one is yours, it's my iron."

Lucy blushed and nodded as she grabbed a piece of metal from the other plate. It was heavenly. After they had cleared every morsel of food from the tray she sat and looked expectantly at Gajeel. When he made no move to say anything, but continued to glare at the bedspread, she punched him lightly on the arm and said, "You wanted to talk to me about something…?"

He nodded, then grabbed the tray and walked back out to the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, he didn't feel any more ready to tell Lucy what was going on, but he knew he couldn't put it off any longer. He walked back into the room and cuddled up close to her, nuzzling her neck and trying to calm his nerves.

She could practically taste the tension in Gajeel. Lucy immediately began rubbing small circles along his arms and the marks on his wrists. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

"Don't you think it's weird that you are eating metal?" he asked softly.  _Maybe I can skirt around it for a bit…_

Lucy paused, then shrugged again. "I figured it was a mate thing. Isn't it?"

Gajeel refused to pull himself away from her neck.  _She's gonna be so pissed at me…_  "No, it's not. Well, not entirely."

After a few minutes of silence, Lucy huffed and said, "Gajeel, tell me what's wrong."

He squeezed her lightly and shook his head.

"If you don't tell me, I'm gonna Lucy Kick you into the next town," she said quietly.

He knew that tone.  _Shit._  "Promise you won't be mad?" he whispered. This conversation was  _not_  going how he had expected.

"Did you eat something you weren't supposed to?"

Gajeel shook his head.

"Break something?"

He shook his head again.

"Are you possibly scared to tell me that you're seriously into bondage, and you want me to spank you and call you a 'dirty little dragon'?"

Gajeel's head shot up from her neck and he glared at her. "No."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, you had me worried for a minute there."

He rolled his eyes, then buried his nose back into the comforting warmth of her neck.

Lucy's brow furrowed. Sure, Gajeel could be detached sometimes, and occasionally a real asshole when it came to communicating, but he was always open with her. She turned slightly and started running a hand through his hair. "I won't be mad. In the event that I do get mad, I'll try my best to hear you out, okay?" she said soothingly.

Gajeel sighed, and pulled her closer to him.  _Damnit Wendy. Why couldn't you have told her?!_  Gathering every last shred of his courage, he said, "You're uh… You're pregnant."

"EHH?!" Lucy shouted. She ripped herself away from Gajeel's grasp and stared at him in shock, then down at her stomach. Back to Gajeel. "What… how… when… Huh?!"

Gajeel closed his eyes and flopped onto the bed and nodded. "That's why you got sick this morning. And why you're eating my metal, but not any other kind."

Lucy let the news sink in.  _A baby. Gajeel and I are going to have a baby._  She let the thought roll around in her mind for all of five seconds before she lunged at him.

He felt her spring off of the mattress at him, and screamed, "I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

Lucy's lips crashed down onto his, cutting off his pleas for mercy. She kissed every inch of his face, then beamed at him before running her nose along his. "Why would I kill you?" she whispered happily.

 _Okay, now I'm really confused._  "Uh, because I got you pregnant?"

Lucy sat up straight and the grin on her face spread even wider. "And  _how_  is that a bad thing?"

His mouth dropped open. This was definitely not the reaction he was expecting from her. "Uh…"

Lucy rolled her eyes, her good mood incapable of leaving her any time soon. "Gajeel, we're gonna have a family…"

 _Family…_  He never had one. He didn't remember his parents, and the closest he had come to that was Metallicana. Then Lucy when she became his mate. "… Family?" he asked, slightly dazed.

Lucy nodded fervently. "Yep! You, me, and this little one." She placed her hands over her stomach and smiled softly. When she noticed that he was still spaced out, she gently grabbed one of his hands and placed it over her stomach.

Gajeel's eyes widened and he focused on where his hand was. Then he looked up at Lucy's face. Tears were welling in her eyes, ready to spill any moment. "Shit! I'm sorry! Fuck… I…" He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, hoping that he hadn't made her cry. He couldn't stand it when she cried.

The tears fell anyway. Lucy hugged her mate tightly and whispered, "Don't you want to have a family with me?"

"Of course I do!" he shouted without hesitation. Then paused.  _I do want a family… With Lucy…_

She smiled at his outburst and said, "Well, then it looks like we'll have a little Dragon Slayer running around. I bet he'll give you a run for your money."

He smiled proudly at her and said, "Tch, nah. But he'll kick Natsu's ass…"

Lucy laughed at his sudden mood change, then added, "Yeah, before he's even out of diapers!" She leaned down and kissed Gajeel, letting her lips linger against his as it ended. "I have something to tell you, Gajeel."

Keeping his eyes closed, fully content in the moment he grunted in response.

"I'm hungry again," she said with a giggle.

He was only too happy to oblige.

 


	3. Chapter 3

"You're kidding me, right? This has to be a joke…"

Lucy rolled her eyes at her best friend. "No, Natsu. It's not a joke. Now hand me back that plate before I have Erza beat you to a pulp for denying a pregnant woman her food!"

"This isn't food, Luce!" Natsu shouted, staring in horror at the mound of metal that Lucy was trying to eat. "It's one thing to be his mate, it's completely different when you start eating like him!"

"Give. Me. The. Plate. Natsu," Lucy hissed through gritted teeth. She was already three months along, but had stayed away from the guild for a while so she could rest… and because Gajeel was insane. Gajeel had gone in to tell Makarov the news the day after they found out, saying that he could tell the guild but they had to stay away from the house until Gajeel felt it was safe. Apparently, the addition of a baby had pushed his overprotective instincts into overdrive. Needless to say, the first day she had been able to come back, being carried by Gajeel because he said she didn't need the extra stress of walking, everyone had crowded around them to congratulate the happy couple.

"No! This is just weird…" Natsu said, holding the plate as far away from her as he could.

"GODDAMNIT NATSU! GIVE ME BACK THAT MOTHERFUCKING PLATE!" Lucy shouted, gaining the attention of the whole guild.

Wendy quickly rushed over, telling Lucy she needed to relax and then glaring at Natsu. "Give it to her, Natsu. It's what she needs."

He gave her a confused look, then grinned. "Very funny! Wendy's in on the joke too!"

Lucy rubbed her stomach, trying to relax as Wendy had said.  _I'm sorry, little one… You'll get to eat in a minute, I promise._  She was starving. All she wanted to do was have a little snack until it was time for lunch. Gajeel was outside training with Pantherlily, so he had made her a plate of small nuggets just in case she got hungry before he came back. Then, Natsu came over and took the plate and the nugget she was about to eat. "Please," Lucy whispered. "I'm hungry, Natsu… Just give me the plate…"

Salt. Natsu sniffed the air again. "Luce, why are you crying?" he asked, never letting the plate get too close to the table where she could reach it.

"She's crying because you won't give her the plate back. I told you, Natsu. She needs it," Wendy said sternly. She had no clue that Natsu could be this dense.  _Didn't Igneel explain this to him?_

"Wendy," Lucy whispered. "Please go get Gajeel…" She sniffled, trying to hold her hormones back.

Just as Wendy turned to get the other Slayer, he stormed through the door from the training area. He was sweating, shirtless, and snarling as his eyes locked on Lucy. Gajeel's red eyes quickly took in the scenario, and he growled at Natsu. "Give her the damn plate, Flamehead. It's for the baby."

"No way!" Natsu shouted. He wasn't going to let them play a joke on him. He saw right through it this time.

Gajeel clenched his fist, letting his magic flow through him, and opened his hand to reveal another small iron nugget. He stalked over to Lucy, rage filling each of his steps. Once he was next to her, his body relaxed and he placed the metal up to her lips, running his other hand through her hair. "Open up, Bunny," he whispered gently.

Lucy's eyes lit up, and she immediately opened her mouth. As soon as the metal touched her tongue, Lucy's eyes closed and she moaned at the taste of it.

_CRUNCH!_

Everyone's jaws dropped. Their favorite Celestial mage was chewing through Gajeel's iron—which was much stronger than normal metal—like it was nothing. And she was happy about it.

After Lucy had finished, she glared at Natsu. "Do you believe me now? Can I have the plate back so I can eat?"

Natsu nodded slowly and lowered his hand. He carefully pushed the plate across the table to Lucy as if she was a wild beast. Before he could get an apology out, he was being dragged out of the hall by his scarf. "What the—" Natsu turned to see that it was Gajeel.  _I'm so dead…_

* * *

Lucy rolled over for the hundredth time as she tried to find a comfortable position to lie in. The baby was growing at an alarming rate, but Wendy said that it was to be expected since Gajeel was a Dragon Slayer.  _Ugh, only five months?!_  Lucy sat up slowly, pale moonlight cascading over her through the window by the bed, and glared at her belly. She loved the little one growing inside of her, but she already looked as if she was around seven or eight months pregnant. The worst part was that she was having a hard time sleeping because Gajeel had gone on another mission. He was due back in a couple of days, but she needed his warmth right then. Apparently, the baby felt the same way because she could never sleep when he was away.

Lucy looked longingly at her keys, the only vestiges of her spirit friends that she could see aside from their constellations in the sky. She was immediately informed that she couldn't use her magic while she was pregnant  _because_  she was a Celestial mage. Instead of short bursts of her magic being used, keeping a gate open while her spirits were out was a constant drain on her magic. Meaning, they couldn't even come to see her if they opened their own gate, because even that used some of her magic.

Lucy heard the front door open quietly, then close, and her heart instantly started pounding in her chest. Any time Gajeel was gone, someone from the guild would stay at the house with her so that she could be protected in an emergency. Usually it was Wendy, since the small girl was like a sister to both Lucy and Gajeel, but tonight it was Mira.  _Maybe Mira was just going out for a late walk?_  Lucy tried to reason with herself. She heard slow and heavy footsteps coming down the hallway towards the bedroom.  _Definitely not Mira!_  Her heart continued to pound as she stared at the bedroom door, and her mind raced through all of the possibilities of what she could use to defend herself. After shooting down every possibility, whether it was because she was pregnant and couldn't move fast enough or just because the idea was insane, Lucy's breaths came in short bursts as the bedroom door creaked open.

A large shadow filled the doorway, blocking out any ambient light that may have been coming from the living room. Lucy pushed herself flush against the headboard as it walked closer.  _Please don't hurt us…_ She let out a small whimper in fear and put her hands protectively over her stomach, her eyes screwing themselves shut and her head turning to the side so she wouldn't have to see whoever it was.

"Bunny? What's wrong?" Gajeel asked softly as he sat down on the bed. He had heard her heartbeat pick up, then smelled her fear as he got closer to the room.

Lucy's eyes shot open and she stared at the shadow sitting in front of her. "G-Gajeel?" she whispered, hoping this wasn't some twisted dream she was having. She still didn't trust the mysterious figure in front of her, and pushed herself further away from it.

Gajeel went to put his hand on her stomach, knowing that it helped to calm her down, but she flinched and moved away from him. "Bunny, it's me…" he whispered, the pain in his voice evident. He slowly leaned over and turned on the lamp on her nightstand, and frowned at the tears that had begun to well in her eyes.

"Oh Gajeel!" Lucy said, the tears finally spilling from her. She wanted to lunge at him, pull herself into his embrace and cry, but all she could manage was a small scoot closer to him and a watery smile.

Gajeel quickly kicked his boots off and pulled Lucy gently into his lap. As he wiped her tears away, he said, "Why are you crying?"

"Because you scared the hell out of me!" she sobbed. "I heard the door open, then someone walking down the hall… and I couldn't see anything… I didn't know what to expect, and there was no way for me to do anything about it if it wasn't you!"

"Shit," he whispered. "I just didn't wanna wake you… Lily and I finished early, and we hopped on the first train we could to get back home." His one arm was wrapped around her back, while the other hand rubbed soft circles over her stomach. "We missed you two…"

Lucy sniffled and gave him a soft smile. "We missed you guys, too. Draco and I can't sleep without you…"

Gajeel stiffened. "Draco?" They hadn't spent much time discussing names, but he didn't think that Lucy would want anything closely related to a dragon for their child's name.

Lucy nodded happily, then she turned a timid face up to look at him. "Do you not like it?"

"I just thought you would want something less…" he said, not knowing how to finish or what he could possibly say.

"Dragon-ey?" Lucy finished with a soft giggle. "It's the best of both. Draco is the name of one of the strongest celestial spirits. The Dragon."

Gajeel gave her a smirk and said, "What if the baby's a girl?" He wanted a boy. He wouldn't deny it. He wanted a son that he could train in his own magic and make the kid just as strong as he was. If they had a girl, it would kill Gajeel… Only because of the amount of heart attacks he would have and fights he would get into trying to protect her from everyone else.

Lucy blushed. "Wendy came by yesterday."

"And? How's the baby?" Gajeel asked. Sure, he cared about the little Slayer, but Lucy only really brought her up if there was big news or if it concerned their young.

"The baby's a boy," Lucy said with a grin. "Hence, Draco."

"A… boy." Gajeel's eyes widened. "A boy?"

Lucy giggled at him. "Yes, a boy. Which apparently explains why I'm  _huge._  Wendy says boys sit differently and they tend to be bigger than girls, especially when their Slayer offspring. So, thanks for that…"

Gajeel's stupor was immediately broken when he heard her. Instantly, his cocky grin spread across his face and he said, "Damn right."

Lucy playfully smacked his chest and said, "I think this calls for a midnight snack."

Gajeel gently laid her back on the bed, kissed her forehead and grinned. "What would you like this time?"

Rubbing her belly while she thought, Lucy said, "Peanut butter."

Gajeel chuckled and shook his head as he walked into the kitchen.  _Iron and peanut butter… Some weird ass cravings…_

* * *

"Where do you want it?" he asked softly.

"Right there," she said. "Will it hurt?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. Wendy said this was alright?"

She nodded at him with a soft smile in her eyes.

He sighed. "Okay, if you're sure."

Lucy's eyes squeezed shut as she waited for the pain. There was a small pinch, then a warming sensation, then nothing. The same pinch, warmth, then nothing on the other side. Her eyes shot open and she lifted the mirror to see how she looked, already noticing that there wasn't any residual pain. She grinned at her reflection, then looked at her mate. "What do you think?"

Gajeel didn't know what to think. His brain shut down once he had finished and saw her face. Her plump lower lip was adorned by two small iron piercings, one on each side. His mouth had gone dry. His pants tightened, and he couldn't bring himself to even shift from the uncomfortable position.

Lucy giggled at her mate's reaction. "I'll take that as a good sign, then?"

He nodded, his mouth still hanging open. Never in a million years had he pictured Lucy with snakebites. Even if he had pictured it, his mind wouldn't have been able to conjure the image he was faced with. She was lying in their bed, his shirt the only stitch of clothing on her body, rubbing her ever-growing belly, with some of the sexiest piercings he had ever seen. Made from his own iron. "You have… no idea…"

Lucy blushed, but any arousal she may have felt was instantly overshadowed when she felt a pressure on her hand from her stomach. Then another. "Ow!" she shouted with a smile on her face as she stared at her stomach.

"Ow…?" he asked absently. Gajeel's mind quickly caught up, though. His eyes flew to her stomach, then to her face. "Ow?! What is it? Are you alright? Is—"

Lucy giggled and whispered, "Give me your hand." When he didn't move, but just stared at her as if she had grown a pair of wings and a tail, she reached over and grabbed his hand herself. Very carefully, she placed it where her own hand had been then whispered, "Show Daddy what you learned, Draco."

Gajeel's gaze followed his hand, and rested on her stomach. It felt like something flicked him. Then a constant pressure. A series of stronger hits. A pause. Then the strangest and most magical thing he ever felt in his life, a large pressure rolled from his palm to his fingertips. "Is that…"

"That's our little fighter," Lucy whispered happily. "He's been kicking my ass all day. I believe that was a hand, then his head, a bunch of kicks, then him rolling over."

He couldn't even put on a cocky grin. Gajeel was so amazed by what he was feeling from his mate's stomach that he laid his head on her lap and just smiled.

"Why don't you tell him about your last mission, Gajeel?" Lucy said with a yawn. "I'm sure he'd love to hear about how strong his Daddy is."

Gajeel moved so that Lucy could lay down and get comfortable. Once she gave him a small nod and a smile, he let her fall asleep while he curled around her legs, his nose nuzzling her stomach. Deciding to get some bonding time with his son, Gajeel smiled again and started to whisper. "So, here's what happened…"

* * *

"Hey Luce! How's it going?" Natsu asked with his normal grin. Happy waved from his perch on Natsu's head while he ate a fish.

Lucy smiled at Natsu and Happy and said, "Great! How have you guys been?" She missed coming to the guild every day. She usually didn't have the energy for it, and ended up staying at home and working on her novel or figuring out how to decorate the nursery.

Happy smiled and said, "We went fishing with Juvia! She gave me the biggest fish to give to Carla!"

Lucy giggled and said, "Well, Carla's right over there, Happy. Why don't you give it to her now?"

Happy smiled widely and flew over to Wendy and Carla's table, a huge bass in his paws.

Turning back to Natsu, Lucy said, "So, you and Juvia went fishing?" There was a knowing glint in her eyes and a small smirk on her face.

Natsu blushed. Really and truly blushed. His hand flew behind his head and he tried to hide embarrassed he was. "Y-Yeah! It was great!"

Lucy sighed and placed her hand on Natsu's. "Have you told her yet?"

Natsu's face fell, and he lowered his head. "No…"

"I've heard you guys spend tons of time together. Just like you and I used to."

Natsu smiled reminiscently. He loved spending so much time with his best friend, and he really missed having her around. "Yeah, but it's different with her."

Lucy laughed. "Well, I should hope so! I mean, you and I are friends. And you two are…"

He sighed again. "Friends…"

"Doesn't she want more?" Lucy asked, concerned for her friend. "I thought you two were really hitting it off."

"I don't know what she wants. I'm too scared to tell her about  _that_ , and—"

"Natsu Dragneel, you listen to me," Lucy said sternly, "You had better march yourself over to her table  _right now_  and tell her how you feel. Do you hear me, young man?"

Natsu paled at Lucy's change in mood. She was sweet and kind, then instantly started acting like a… well, like a mom. He smiled softly at her and said, "You're gonna be a great mom, Luce."

"Wh-What?" Lucy asked, her question barely more than a whisper, taken aback by her best friend's words.

"I said you're gonna be a great mom. I'm gonna go talk to Juvia." With that, Natsu stood up and gave Lucy a small hug around her shoulders, then walked off to finally tell the Water mage that she was his mate.

"Lucy?" Pantherlily asked softly as he flew to sit with the pregnant woman after sparring with Gajeel.

Tears slowly poured down Lucy's face, her mind still in shock at what Natsu told her.

"Lucy, why are you crying?" Pantherlily said earnestly. "Tell me who upset you…"

Lucy could only shake her head, then dropped her face to her hands as she broke down.

"Shit. Bunny, what's wrong?" Gajeel asked softly, kneeling down in front of his mate.

Lucy couldn't form any words. She was so happy that Natsu thought she would be a good mom, and wished she could thank him. She knew that her letting out heart-shattering sobs was all from her hormones, but she didn't care. It was so sweet, and she knew that Natsu had finally started to grow up. Lucy shook her head, then felt Gajeel pull her into his arms.

"Why's Lucy crying?" Happy asked sadly, landing on the table next to Pantherlily.

"We don't know. Gajeel and I just came back and she was like this," Lily explained, eyeing the blonde with concern.

"Well, Natsu was just sitting here. Maybe he knows why she's sad," Happy said. His own eyes were filled with tears as he watched Lucy cry. He hated it when she was upset, because her smile seemed to make everything better.

Gajeel growled as the small blue Exceed said who was last with his mate. "Bunny, did Natsu say something to you?"

Lucy didn't hear the menace in Gajeel's voice, only the question. She nodded, then gripped Gajeel's shirt tighter.

After a swift nod from Gajeel, Pantherlily switched into his Battle Form and tackled the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Hey, what gives?!" Natsu shouted. He was just about to get the nerve up to talk to Juvia about their relationship, and then Pantherlily grabbed his scarf and hauled him up into the air.

"Were you the last one to talk to Lucy?" the black Exceed questioned, the unspoken threat sitting thick in the air.

"Yeah! She told me to come talk to Juvia!" Natsu shouted, kicking and writhing in an attempt at breaking the Exceed's grip on him.

"What did you say to her to make her cry?" Lily said through gritted teeth. Just like Gajeel, he had grown very protective over the blonde in the time she and Gajeel had been together. She had brought so much light and happiness into their home that he never wanted to see it disappear. Not like it had when she left Gajeel for those two months.

Natsu stopped fighting instantly. "She's crying? Why's Luce crying?" he asked sadly.

"That's what we'd like to know. What did you say to her?" Pantherlily's patience was wearing very thin. He could still hear Lucy's sobs even though they were muffled by her face being against Gajeel's chest.

"I-I…" Natsu looked over at his friend, and he was filled with hurt and confusion. "I told her she's gonna be a great mom… She scolded me for not talking to Juvia… She made it seem like she was my own mom and… I didn't mean to make her cry."

"That's all you said to her? Nothing else," Pantherlily pushed. He didn't want to let Natsu go if there was something he was hiding.

"That's it…" Natsu said sadly. He looked back at Pantherlily and said, "Is she mad at me?"

The black Exceed quickly put the pieces together and smiled. As he set Natsu down he said, "No. She's not mad at you. I believe you've made her very happy."

"But why is she crying so much?" Natsu asked, his eyes filled with worry.

Juvia placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder and said, "Lucy is going through a lot of changes right now. Her emotions are very intense, and she can't seem to express herself properly. When the baby is born, she'll eventually go back to normal." She gave him a soft smile, then said, "Would you like to go get some food?"

Pantherlily smirked as he watched Natsu and Juvia run happily out of the guild. He returned to his smaller size and flew back over to Gajeel.

"Natsu's gonna die, Lily. Making my mate cry like this…" Gajeel said with a low growl. He was only happy that Lucy had finally calmed down.

"Natsu didn't upset her. He said something genuinely nice." Pantherlily couldn't help the proud smile that crossed his face.

"Huh?"

"N-Natsu said…" Lucy whispered, "That I'm gonna be a great m-mom…" She sniffled, then said, "It was so sweet!" Lucy started crying again, but not nearly as badly as before.

Gajeel stared down at her, then up at Lily, then back to her. "Well, he's right, you know." He placed a soft kiss on her head before lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes. "I don't think there's another person out there that's capable of being a better mom than you'll be to our son." Even though they were in the guild, Gajeel still gave her a genuine smile. The smile that only she got to see.

* * *

"Bunny, I'm ba—"

Lucy smirked at Gajeel as he walked into the room. He had stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway, and stared at her. "I missed you," she purred seductively.

"Wh-What are you wearing?" Gajeel asked when his mind finally started functioning again. His mate, his beautiful goddess of a mate was sitting in their bed in lingerie. Of course, he'd seen her in lingerie before, and loved it every time he got to rip it off of her, but this was something else. Her breasts were covered in small triangles of gleaming chainmail, with sheer swathes of fabric attached to the bottom and parting around her swollen stomach. His eyes raked down her body, and he licked his lips when he saw that the underwear—if it could even be called that—matched the top.

Lucy's eyes travelled over Gajeel's body as he stood frozen. She had missed him so much while he was away. It was the last mission he was going to take before the baby was born, and it seemed like he had been gone for months. After that night when he had come home early and scared the daylights out of her, they had agreed that he would call before he got home so she would know he was safe and on his way back. Lucy bit her lower lip, her tongue flicking across the inside of her mouth to taste the piercings he had given her. "A welcome home present," she whispered as she looking hungrily into his piercing red eyes.

Gajeel felt himself twitch in excitement. "… Present?"

Lucy smiled at him and nodded. She let her fingers trail slowly across her chest and down to her already moistening center. "I thought you might be hungry."

Gajeel was broken from his trance at her statement, and he growled as he eyed her travelling fingers. He was hungry in more ways than one and the grin that he gave her as he walked towards the bed showed just how hungry he was. As he knelt on the bed between her legs, he pulled Lucy in for a searing kiss. As they broke away, he trailed kisses down her throat, nipping at her collar bones. He paused for a moment, and asked, "Are you sure it's okay?" He didn't want to stop, but she was due in less than a week and he didn't want to do anything to hurt the baby. "I can wait if…"

"Gajeel, it's fine. I asked Porlyusica, and she said we just have to take it slow. If anything, sex will help the baby…" Lucy whispered as she started to undo his pants. She could tell he was going to argue, wanting to know more about what the pink-haired healer had said, but Lucy cut him off. "I'll explain it all later, but right now I  _need_  you."

Gajeel was still willing to put it off, until Lucy's hand shot down his pants and firmly grasped his already hardened member. He grunted as she stroked him, and he lowered his mouth to one of the metal straps that was holding her top up. With a quick bite, and a moan at the taste of the metal on his tongue, her breast was freed. He lowered his head further to capture the pert nipple in his mouth, dragging his sharp teeth across it just to hear her moan his name.

Lucy's free hand tangled in Gajeel's mane of black hair and she pulled him closer to her chest, moaning loudly when his tongue flicked across her sensitive skin. She let out a whimper of disappointment when he pulled away, but was rewarded when he switched to her other breast.

Gajeel closed his mouth over the still covered nipple, sucking and nibbling the metal and her breast at the same time. It was intoxicating, and soon his teeth bit through the barrier. He heard a shocked squeal from Lucy, then a low moan as he continued his torture on her. He slowly lowered her to the bed, then began kissing down every inch of her body until he reached her core.

Lucy squirmed when Gajeel pressed his nose firmly against her, and felt her body clench in response.

"Mmm, I could get used to this," he whispered, closing his mouth over the chainmail that covered her sex.

Lucy's legs instantly spread further to accommodate Gajeel's broad shoulders, and she moaned again when lifted her legs up and over his back. She wanted to buck against him when he bit a couple of the links out of her panties and thrust his fingers inside of her, but she had to be careful.

Gajeel smirked at her, nibbling on her leg while he pushed slowly into her with his fingers. Her scent was so strong, mixing with the metal pressed up against her so perfectly that he wanted to stay like this forever. He took his time as he ate every remnant of the metal that covered her center, keeping the slow and torturous pace he'd set with his fingers. He moaned against her damp curls as he savored her taste along with the metal in his mouth. Never in his life had he eaten anything so delectable.

"Gajeel," Lucy panted. She had gone far too long without him, and her climax was quickly building. It didn't take long for her to finally fall over the edge, and she screamed his name while her body tightened around his fingers.

Gajeel smirked at her when she looked down to see his face still firmly planted between her legs. He knew that she was expecting him to crawl up her body and ravage her, but tonight he had different plans. "Hope you're ready, Bunny Girl. I'm nowhere near done with you."

* * *

"ARGGHHHH!"

The guild collectively flinched as they heard another pained scream from the infirmary. Lucy and Gajeel had been sitting at their table, having lunch, when her water broke. She was immediately rushed upstairs in Gajeel's arms, followed closely by Wendy and Porlyusica. The pink-haired, human-hating, healer had been hanging around while they waited for Lucy to go into labor. Because this pregnancy was so different from a normal pregnancy—with the child being from a Dragon Slayer—she had been adamant about helping and teaching Wendy, and even more adamant that no  _human_  doctors (she had said with a sneer) be allowed near them.

No men were allowed in the room aside from Gajeel. When Makarov had tried to enter to be of assistance, at Porlyusica's request, it took Gildarts and Laxus pulling Gajeel away from the old man before they realized what was wrong. Gajeel's mate was going to be mostly naked, completely exposed for anyone in the room to see, while she gave birth. His instincts refused to allow another male near her. Add to that the fact that his child, his new and innocent child, was being brought into the world. Makarov had been lucky that he was only thrown across the room. In the wild, dragons took care of their own births, mainly because they laid eggs and watched over them. Gajeel's human side and inner dragon were warring with how to handle this situation, but he knew that people had to be there to help Lucy. So, he allowed Wendy, Porlyusica, Juvia, and Erza into the room with Pantherlily keeping guard just outside.

"AHHHHH! MOTHERFUCKER!"

Again, they all flinched. Natsu and Gray looked the worst for the wear with every scream that came from their friend.

"We can't just sit here…" Natsu said softly. "There has to be something we can do…"

"Like what? You gonna go up there and push the baby out for her?" Gray shot back. He was fully aware that his clothes were gone. They had disappeared within the first few minutes of her screaming.

Natsu looked up at the clock. "They've been in there for eight hours!"

"Natsu," Bisca said softly, holding a sleeping Asuka in her arms, "These things take time."

"How long did it take you?" he asked as he smiled at the sleeping girl in the green-haired woman's arms.

"Three hours, but Draco is much bigger than Asuka was. And Lucy is smaller than me. Her body is probably having a hard time getting him out." Bisca remembered all too well how painful it had been for her, and she had no idea how Lucy was still able to scream after so long. She looked up to the balcony and sent a silent prayer for things to go smoothly.

* * *

Tears and sweat poured down Lucy's face as another contraction tightened her body. It moved from her ribs all the way down to her toes, and over the course of however long they had been in that hellhole of an infirmary, the contractions were only getting worse.

"You're doing great, Lucy," Wendy said with confidence. She stood off to the side of Porlyusica who was staring intently between Lucy's legs.

"Fuck," Gajeel whispered as another contraction caused Lucy to squeeze his hand. She had broken his left hand within the first hour, and when he gave her the other to squeeze, he had covered it in his metal scales to protect it a little better. Even with the extra armor, she was still squeezing and he could feel the bones shifting in his hand.

"Okay, relax for a moment, Lucy," Porlyusica said sternly. "I'm going to check the baby's position. This might hurt a little." She waited for Lucy to nod and then placed one hand on top of her belly and then pushed two fingers into her womanhood. She gave an encouraging smile to the young blonde when she winced in pain, and then removed her fingers. "Very good, dear. He's in the right position for you to start pushing."

"Lucy," Wendy said softly. "Have a sip of water. You're sweating a lot and I'm sure you could use it."

Lucy nodded, and took a sip of the offered cup, then laid her head back and panted. Her eyes gazed across the room and she smiled at the women who were surrounding her. Juvia had become Wendy's assistant, giving her water whenever she needed it, and anything else the young girl asked for. Erza had continuously stroked Lucy's hair and given her soft words of encouragement. Wendy's demeanor changed from sweet and innocent to the skilled healer they all knew. Even though she was mostly observing what Porlyusica was doing, she still had an air of confidence that gave Lucy a great peace of mind. The biggest surprise, however, was Porlyusica. Since they had started, the grumpy woman had given her soft smiles and encouraging words. She still had a rough exterior, and was stern and serious when she talked to everyone, but Lucy felt safe knowing that Porlyusica was here because of how experienced she was.

"How you doing, Bunny?" Gajeel whispered to her. He placed a soft kiss on her sweaty forehead and then wiped away her sweat. The last eight hours had been torture for him. Disregarding her breaking his hand, which Wendy promptly healed, there wasn't anything he could do to take her pain away. He could only sit there and let her break every bone in his body if she needed to.

Lucy gave him a weak smile. "I'll be better when Draco's he—ARGGH!" She gritted her teeth and squeezed his hand again, feeling the metal scales covering it shift unnaturally under her touch.

"Okay, Lucy. It's time to push. Remember what I told you," Porlyusica said.

Juvia and Erza quickly moved into position, each lifting one of Lucy's legs. Gajeel put a hand behind her back and helped her lift herself up while she pushed, reminding Lucy to breathe slowly.

The pain she was experiencing was beyond anything she could have imagined. If the contractions were bad, this was hell. "GAJEEL! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

"I know, Bunny. I'm sorry… Just keep breathing," he said softly. He'd been warned by every woman in the guild that Lucy was going to threaten him. Bisca said that Alzack nearly fainted from the threats she threw out. Makarov had patted him consolingly, and said he would be lucky if she let him live; however, Lucy would most likely be so happy when it was over with that she wouldn't be upset with him anymore.

"Okay, give it a few seconds, then push again," Porlyusica said softly, still loud enough to be heard over Lucy's screams. "And, push!"

"MMMPH!" Tears were pouring down Lucy's cheeks as she gave it everything she had. She felt as if she was being split in half, her entire lower half on fire with the pain she felt.

"You're doing great, Bunny."

"You're goddamn right I am!" She punched him in the face, just so he could feel some pain like she was.

* * *

Twenty minutes had gone by, and the entire guild was staring at the balcony in horror. Well, all the men were staring in horror. The women had huddled around the bar and were laughing at the insults that Lucy was screaming out.

"IF YOU TELL ME TO BREATHE ONE MORE TIME, I'M GONNA RIP YOUR STOMACH OUT THROUGH YOUR ASSHOLE, GAJEEL!"

"Fucking hell!" Laxus said with a shudder.

"Seriously," Bickslow whispered.

"Man, I feel bad for Lucy," Cana whispered as she took another swig from her barrel.

"You feel bad for Blondie?! She just threatened to—" Laxus tried to say, hoping that he could defend Gajeel at least a little. The guy was getting a serious tongue-lashing from the feisty blonde.

"YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH! YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

Laxus' head dropped. "Well, she's got a point…"

"How do you think it's going up there?" Mira asked, growing concerned with how long Lucy had been screaming.

* * *

"Lucy, you need to relax," Wendy said softly. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

"I just want him out…" Lucy cried, pulling Gajeel closer to her so she could nuzzle into his chest. "It hurts so much."

Gajeel pressed a soft kiss to her drenched blonde hair and rubbed soothing circles on her back. He looked pleadingly at Wendy and Porlyusica, hoping they could say it would be over soon. When they only stared back at him worriedly, his heart dropped. He had to do something to help his mate. "Bunny," he whispered. "Do you want to know something? It might make you feel a little better."

Lucy continued to cry, but nodded.

He gave her a sweet smile and said, "I finished the crib last night while you were asleep. All iron, just like you wanted."

"Y-You did?" she asked, her voice cracking with the emotions crashing through her. She looked up into his piercing red eyes and smiled back at him.

"Yep. Sorry you didn't get to see it yet. But, when we go back home…" He gave her a sweet smile, the one he saved only for her.

Lucy softly kissed his lips, then turned back to the healers. "I'm ready."

Porlyusica frowned as she checked the baby's position again.

"Oi! What's with the frowning?!" Gajeel said gruffly.

She looked up at Lucy sadly and said, "I'm going to have you push a little more, but if nothing changes then we'll have to do a C-Section. It seems the baby has acquired his father's broad shoulders." She pinned Gajeel with an accusatory glare before finishing. "If you can't get his shoulders past your hips, then we'll have to change the plan, alright Lucy?"

Lucy nodded numbly, looking up at Gajeel and hoping he could comfort her.

Gajeel frowned. He didn't want his mate to have to endure anything more. She had been suffering enough, and he wanted it to be over. As he looked down into her big brown eyes, shining with unshed tears, he gave her a toothy grin. "You've got this. You're my mate for a reason, Bunny Girl. You're tough as nails."

She gave him a small smile. "Tougher," she whispered.

* * *

The guild went silent. Lucy's screaming had finally stopped. She hadn't cursed Gajeel for the last few minutes, and they had only heard pained screams or random curses from her.

"Guess he did something right," Alzack said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"Bisca threatened me in more ways than I care to remember," Alzack said with a shudder at the memories. "Towards the end, I said something that made her happy… I don't know what Gajeel said to Lucy, but it seems to have worked. At least, I hope that's what happened…" He looked back up to the second floor worriedly.

Happy flew over to sit next to Natsu and Alzack and said, "They've been pretty quiet for a while. Do you think everything's okay?"

Natsu looked back up at the balcony, listening for any noise that would let him know what was happening up there.

* * *

"He's crowning!" Wendy said happily.

Gajeel's eyes widened and he looked down at Lucy. She was drenched completely in sweat, panting like she'd run a mile, and crying.

"One more push, child. That's all you need to do. Just one more," Porlyusica said solemnly. She was surprised by the blonde's determination and endurance. She glanced at the clock and her eyes widened marginally. The poor young thing had been in labor for nine hours, and refused all forms of medication to help dull the pain.

"I… I can't…" Lucy panted. "It's too much… I can't do it anymore…" She looked up at Gajeel, her source of strength through the whole thing. She knew that she had hurt him, ripped into him while she was in excruciating pain, and belittled him in more than one way during this time, but she needed his help. "Gajeel… Make it stop… I can't do it anymore!" She started sobbing again.

He felt helpless in this situation. If it was a fight, he knew exactly what he had to do. He could beat people to a bloody pulp left and right, and enjoy doing it. But, his mate was giving up before their son was with them. He couldn't blame her, he'd seen how much pain she was in, felt it when she crushed his hand, heard it in every derogatory word she screamed at him. "Bunny, listen to me," he whispered as he smoothed her hair from her forehead again. "I know you're tired, and I promise you can rest when you're done. No one can help you with this—if I could, I'd be lying on that bed right now so you didn't have to go through it—but I promise you… You  _can_  do it."

She shook her head, her tears slowing down at his words. "What if… I can't…"

"You  _can_. Just one more push and you get to hold him. I'm right here, and you can squeeze as hard as you need to. You can yell at me, or do whatever it takes, but you've gotta push. Draco needs his momma right now." He kissed her head, then moved her hand to the iron scales covering his forearm.

"Are you ready, Lucy?" Wendy asked softly.

Lucy took a few deep breaths, then nodded. She was absolutely exhausted, her body slowly trying to give out on her, but she refused to give up.  _He's right. Draco needs me to do this._

"Alright, with everything you've got, child. Push!" Porlyusica said, her hands readied to catch the baby's head as he was born.

Lucy did give it everything she had. Instead of screaming out in pain, she channeled everything she felt into that one last push. She felt a horrible searing pain as his shoulders finally broke free of her body, and squeezed Gajeel's arm until his scales crumbled. As soon as she felt Draco's feet leaving her, Lucy collapsed back on the bed shedding new and joyful tears.

"Gajeel, quickly now," Porlyusica muttered.

Gajeel looked over at the older woman who held his son.  _Son…_

"Gajeel, you have to do it…" Wendy said softly.

He shook himself from his happy thoughts and leaned over. He'd explained to Lucy that there were plenty of things that were different about her pregnancy from a normal one. One of which was what he was about to do. It had grossed her out, but Wendy had affirmed that it was a rite of passage. He looked lovingly Draco, and quickly snapped his jaws closed on the umbilical cord, severing his son from his mate. Before he let go, he sent a small amount of his magic through the cord into his son, then pulled away with a proud smile on his face.

Juvia and Erza gasped at Gajeel's actions. No one had warned them beforehand what would happen, but they could tell it was important that he did it. They lowered Lucy's legs and backed away silently from the couple, watching everything unfold in awe.

Wendy and Porlyusica worked as one, cleaning Draco off and making sure he was breathing properly. After what felt like an eternity, he let out a small cry and everyone in the room sighed in relief.

That sound. The most beautiful sound Lucy had ever heard. Her son's first breath followed by a tiny and heartwarming cry. She smiled and cried as he was placed in her arms, and looked up at Gajeel with more love than she could ever have imagined being capable of feeling.

Wendy and Porlyusica quickly finished what they needed to, and then Wendy used her magic to help heal Lucy. She looked at the shattered armor on Gajeel and gasped. "Gajeel, your arm… Are you alright?"

Gajeel looked down at his arm, the metal scales still crumbling with every move he made, and smiled back at Wendy. "I'm fine. Small price to pay."

Once everything was handled, Porlyusica placed a hand gently on Gajeel's shoulder and said, "Make sure she feeds him once every hour. She needs to rest soon. We'll go tell everyone the news, and you can come out when it's safe for visitors."

He couldn't help but smile at the grumpy woman, and nodded. "Thank you… All of you…"

Once everyone had walked out, Gajeel brushed his fingers through Lucy's matted hair. She smiled up at him and shifted so he could get a better view of their son. "Draco," she said softly, "Meet your daddy."

* * *

He heard it. Natsu heard the small sound that he needed to hear to tell him what was happening. His eyes widened, and he sat in shock still staring at the balcony.  _Is that… Draco?_  It was barely there, just a small cry that he would have missed if he hadn't been listening.

"Natsu, is everything alright?" Happy asked, placing his paw on his foster father's arm.

Tears began to pour down Natsu's face, though his shocked expression stayed plastered there. His best friend had really brought a new life into the world. A new little Dragon Slayer was here.

"Shit, Natsu! Is something wrong?" Gray asked, leaning in. His concern for Lucy's well-being was evident in his voice.

"Is Lucy okay?"

"Is it the baby?"

"Natsu, what do you hear?"

He was bombarded with question after question from his concerned guildmates, but he hardly heard them. Natsu kept his focus on the noises of everyone in that room. They were cleaning up, and leaving. He slowly stood up and walked to the foot of the stairs, stopping because he knew better than to get too close. Even though he was still too far from Gajeel for it to make a difference, he wouldn't dare disrespect them by barging in.

"Natsu! What is it?" Mira shrieked. Tears were pouring from her. He was known for not being quiet, not having tact. Natsu and serious in the same sentence was almost unheard of, unless he was in a fight. She didn't know what to do with herself as he just stood there.

They all heard the door to the infirmary slowly open, then close. Four sets of footsteps made their way down the stairs, and Natsu moved to let Erza, Wendy, and Porlyusica by. Juvia stopped by his side, and nestled her nose in the crook of his neck, shaking with her joyous tears. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair and letting his tears freely fall.

"How are they?" Makarov asked solemnly. He had no idea what to think, especially since Natsu was acting so strangely. He eyed the three women standing before the guild and waited for them to respond. Each of them, even the human-hating Porlyusica, had tears falling down their cheeks.

"Your newest guildmember, Draco Redfox, is here and healthy," Porlyusica said, her voice loud enough to carry through the hall. She immediately put her hands up before anyone could cheer and said, "Everyone will need to keep the noise down. Lucy is exhausted, and both she and Draco need their rest."

They collectively let out a sigh of relief, containing their joy to a hushed murmur.

"When can we go see them?" Gray asked.

Wendy stepped forward, allowing Porlyusica to tend to whatever she needed to, and said, "Gajeel will decide when they can have visitors."

"Why not now?" Mira asked quietly, voicing everyone's unasked question.

Wendy sighed. "His instincts will refuse to let anyone near them. Pantherlily is the only one he has let in, but that's because Gajeel trusts him, and he's a part of their family. If anyone else tries to go in there right now, Gajeel is likely to kill them in the attempt of protecting his mate and his young." She let the news sink in before she added, "It shouldn't be more than a day, but he'll come out and tell us when  _and who_ can come and visit. Lucy and Draco will be allowed to go home in a couple of days."

Cana grinned at the small Dragon Slayer's words and said, "Which means we can throw a proper Fairy Tail party when she's home safe and sound with the little one."

Bickslow and Elfman laughed at their drunken Card mage, nodding in agreement.

* * *

It had been two days, and Gajeel finally felt relaxed. He could feel his instincts finally dying down, and knew that his mate wanted more than anything for the guild to meet their son. "Lily," he whispered, not wanting to wake up Lucy or Draco who was being rocked in his arms. "Go and get her team. Tell them to come up in fifteen minutes, but make sure they stay quiet."

Lily's eyes widened. He smiled as he looked at Gajeel holding the small bundle of blankets with a tiny pink face nestled inside. He gave a quick nod, then flew over to the baby and pressed a paw to the blanket, and finally left the room as silently as possible.

Gajeel looked down at his sleeping son. The grandson of a great dragon. "I hope Metallicana gets to meet you one day," he whispered sadly. He thought back over his childhood, growing up and fending for himself before he met that dragon. He never had a family, and Metallicana wasn't going to win any parent of the year awards for how he raised Gajeel. He looked up to that metallic dragon as the only role model in his life, as a father, and was abandoned. "I'll never abandon you, Draco…"

He continued to rock back and forth, and started to hum a soft tune to the sleeping baby.  _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…_  It was the sappiest song he knew, but every word of it rang true for him. His life had changed so much in such a short amount of time. He'd spent a year and a half with Lucy, afraid to make her his mate because he never wanted to hurt her again. He'd spent two long months without her because he was too afraid to apologize. When he finally did apologize, and resigned himself to a life of misery, she forgave him and made him see that they were meant to be together. In nine short months, she gave him a son.

Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Happy watched the scene before them from the doorway to the infirmary with smiles on their faces. They had learned a lot about Gajeel in the last year, and finally started to see what Lucy saw in him. His red eyes were filled with love as he looked down at the bundle in his arms, and they could hear him humming softly as he rocked back and forth.

Erza requiped into normal clothing, not wanting her armor to wake Draco or Lucy, and walked into the room. She made just enough noise to let Gajeel know that they were there, and cleared her throat when that didn't seem to work.

Happy flew into the room, and landed on Gajeel's shoulder. It was the only time he knew he could get away with it, so he took the opportunity. "He's so small," Happy whispered to Gajeel as he looked at the tiny face that peeked out from the blankets.

"He was big enough to give Lucy a hard time," Erza said with a smile. She looked over at her sleeping friend and pride filled her.

Gray sat down in a chair that was arranged near Gajeel, and whispered, "You did good, man." He gave Gajeel a smile when their eyes met, a silent message that Gray approved and was immensely proud of the new family.

"Natsu," Lucy whispered as her eyes opened fully. She sat herself up in the bed and saw that her dearest friends were all surrounding the baby and Gajeel—who didn't seem to mind one bit—except for Natsu. "Come over here, Natsu. It's okay."

He looked longingly at Lucy, then he cast a quick glance at the baby and Gajeel.

"It's fine, Natsu," Gajeel said quietly. "Go sit with Bunny Girl."

Natsu's eyes widened. Gajeel hardly ever called him by his name. He was even more surprised that Gajeel would let him anywhere near Lucy  _or_  the baby. He slowly walked across the room, and sat down next to Lucy in the bed. "How are you feeling, Luce?" he whispered.

She smiled and nudged him with her elbow. "Tired, but happy. How about you?"

He glanced back at the baby who had started to stir and said, "I don't know."

"Here, go see your momma, Draco," Gajeel whispered just as his son woke up. He placed a small kiss on the boy's forehead before laying him in Lucy's arms.

"Draco, we have visitors today. Your Aunt Erza is here, and your Uncles Natsu and Gray, and your cousin Happy." She smiled down at her son's sleepy face, then looked to Natsu. "Do you want to hold him?"

"What? N-No… I'm okay…" Natsu said, his face marred with worry.

"Natsu, you won't hurt him."

"What if I make him too warm? He's so small… And… I'm not the most careful person…" he said looking down at his new nephew.

Lucy giggled and then looked at Gajeel. "Help me take his blanket off so Natsu can hold him?"

Gajeel nodded and unwrapped his son. He gave Natsu a smirk as Lucy laid Draco in his arms. "You're doing fine, Natsu," Gajeel said.

Natsu looked down at the little boy. He had a thick head of blonde hair and red eyes. "He's…" He looked from Draco to Gajeel to Lucy. "Perfect." A single tear fell down his cheek, and he did everything in his power to keep his hands from shaking as Erza walked over and picked up the baby.

Once Erza had Draco in her arms, cooing and smiling down at him, Lucy wrapped an arm around Natsu's shoulders. "See? You did great. Pretty soon, you and Gajeel and everyone else will get to play and fight and do whatever it is you crazy boys do. He won't be so tiny forever, Natsu."

Natsu smiled and laid his head on his best friend's shoulder. "You really will be a great mom, Luce."

Gajeel looked over at his radiant mate while she beamed at Natsu's words. Lucy had a way with her words, and knew just what people needed to hear to make them feel better. Gajeel knew that Natsu was right: she would be a great mother. She had done everything a mother could do while she was in labor. This beautiful woman had given Gajeel the most precious gift he could have ever asked for. The one thing he never had, but always wanted. She gave him a family.

**_.The End._ **

 


End file.
